Daybreak's Bell
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: Post Halo 4 - The UNSC Infinity has found Installation 01. As the Master Chief explores its ruins, he comes across a Forerunner artifact that lets him commune with the Librarian. What secrets lie within these ancient ruins? What plans does the Librarian have in store for the Chief? And who is this mysterious new Promethean who comes to his aid? Chief x Cortana :: COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

_As we march forward, unto dawn,_

_The path ahead looks bleak._

_For while we weather winter's storm,_

_We've naught the warmth we seek._

_But when the dawn breaks, bright and gold,_

_Lighting our path anew,_

_Our souls are filled by daybreak's bell_

_Ringing loud and true._

- Daybreak's Bell, by Dan Xander

* * *

Chapter 1

Serving aboard the UNSC _Infinity_ was a nice change of pace for the Master Chief. Rather than having the fate of the galaxy or even the planet on his shoulders, those concerns that weren't focused on rote procedure were simple and organic now – limited to a single squad at a time, a single group of scientists, or at most, the safety of the ship as a whole. The ship of course boasted a crew of 17,000, but compared to the population of the Earth threatened by the Didact, or the countless worlds that had once been at stake under the threat of Halo, the burden felt surprisingly manageable.

He knew of course that eventually this would change. Leading a single platoon was a lot less strenuous, but without the fast-paced adrenaline rush of his most recent missions of late, falling back into a slow and steady routine was both a blessing and curse. Working with the same men and women, day in and day out, he eventually began to put names to those faces, and before long, he was pairing personalities with them as well. These were _his_ men now. And that made risking them a lot less easy.

They'd had run-ins with Prometheans on many occasions in the last six months. The _Infinity_ had first tried to take the Forerunner planet of Requiem by storm, backed by an entire UNSC armada. They had plowed through Covenant defenses and managed to establish a foothold, and for a while, it had looked like they would be able to take the planet.

But then the other Didacts came.

The entire metal surface of the planet sprouted weapons that turned on the first ship that approached. Those ships that weren't sucked into the planet's gravity well and destroyed were fired upon by miles and miles of cannon-fire, as the entire surface of the planet suddenly seemed to bristle with weaponry. The _Infinity_ had been one of the only ships to make it out of the encounter alive.

Humanity had a new enemy now. Though, if the illusive Librarian was to be believed, they were actually a long and ancient enemy, dating back to before any human had ever set foot on Earth. The planet Requiem had become a Forerunner stronghold, with the other Didact-level adversaries crawling out of the woodwork, each commanding their own, massive warship capable of matching the _Infinity_ in firepower. The war became less about tactics and more about locating the remaining Halo rings for whatever information could be garnered, maybe even for a weapon to fight back against the Forerunners.

This, once again, became _Infinity_'s mission.

So when the UNSC flagship discovered one of the remaining Halo rings, Installation 01, it became an all-hands-on-deck situation.

"Chief, what's your status?"

Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer had worked with John extensively during his debriefing of what he had missed these past four and a half years as far as human history, UNSC technology and protocol, and the Spartan program as a whole went. She was technically his commanding officer, but she deferred to his judgment nine times out ten.

"Just outside the designated entry point," the Master Chief said into his helmet mic. On the other side of the ring, Sarah was leading a team through a similar set of bases. Scattered across the planet, numerous other teams of Spartan-IV's were scouring the barren wasteland of Installion-01's terrain. Without Cortana's help to locate this ring's cartographer, the journey ahead of them promised to be long indeed.

Installation 01, it seemed, consisted of a massive amount of desert terrain, with the occasional rocky outcropping for where the terminals and stations lay. Chief and his team of three other Spartan-IV's had been sent to scout just such a point. With the Prometheans scouring the galaxy for these rings, it didn't pay to take chances.

"The structure looks stable," John reported, eying what appeared to be an artificial cave carved into the side of a massive rust-red stone mesa protruding from the sand like a giant wart on the otherwise pristine yellow desert. The wind was kicking up all around them, obscuring their visibility at all angles – the Spartans couldn't even make out the outline of the Pelican they had set down in some two hundred yards to their six.

"Are we clear to enter?"

"Go," Palmer barked. "Give the usual scan so we can move onto the next site."

The Chief motioned his team forward, and the three other Spartans wordlessly followed as he stepped into the cave.

The shelter was a welcome reprieve from the dusty sandstorm. The entire team had taken to wrapping their Mjolnir armor with burlap mufflers to keep the worst of the sand from the joints of their armor. Inside, there appeared to be no indication that the base was in any way designed as anything more important than an outpost. There was enough room inside to park a Pelican or two. The most prominent feature inside was some stone walkways positioned by narrow strips cut into the wall that provided a gun sight to the outdoors. It was a good place to bunker down, John noted, in the event that they would have to repel oncoming attackers, and in the past, most likely had been used for just such a purpose.

"Got anything?" Master Chief asked to the blue colored Spartan scout called Troy, as the solider held a scanning device up towards the walls and surrounding area.

"Nothing," the scout confirmed after another moment. "Unless there's an energy signature hiding behind a hundred tons of rock, this place is just another tomb."

John let out a breath. This was the eighteenth position they had scouted, and so far, nothing appeared to be active. They had been at this all day, and every location that did not turn up answers left him a little more concerned.

Something did not add up.

"Give the place another once-over. I want to be absolutely…"

The Master Chief trailed off as his ears picked up the faint crackling of rock. He looked up and he felt his blood pressure spike as he saw an enormous crack spreading abnormally fast across the carved stone ceiling above them, and all at once, the structure began to collapse.

"_Cave-in_!" he shouted, rushing for the door.

All at once, the walls were crumbling around him, kicking up sand and dust. The room was suddenly filled the groaning and straining of ancient pillars and support beams buckling as the very foundation of the cave began to fail. As falling rock kicked up more and more dust, all the Chief could see was the light coming from the entrance, the rumbling obscuring the sound of any of his squad mates. Around him, he could only hope that each of his Spartans was making for the door, as his legs pumped wildly trying to reach the exit before the structure collapsed.

Out of the corner of his eye, John caught Troy keeping pace beside him as they both made a mad dash for the entrance. A quick glance up at the falling ceiling, and John's instincts told him at once that they weren't going to make it.

Or at least, one of them wasn't.

His team. His men.

Troy let out a grunt as the Master Chief shoved him roughly in the back with all his might, sending him sprawling forward towards the door. The Chief was just barely able to catch a glimpse of the blue scout clearing the exit, before the cave collapsed around him, sealing him inside with a thunderous roar.

* * *

John grunted as he opened his eyes, trying to figure out if anything was broken. He untwisted his body from its awkward position and slowly managed to get to his feet. He realized suddenly how dark it was, and he switched on his floodlights, only to find himself in a natural looking cavern much larger than the one he'd been in. Looking up, he saw a rather picturesque array of stalactites mired by a massive hole above where he currently lay. He seemed to have fallen a significant distance. The cave-in had apparently broken through the floor as well, depositing in this underground grotto.

"Sigma squad, do you copy?" the Chief keyed his mic to reach his men. "Troy? Faulkner? Kara? Can any of you read me?"

Static was his only reply.

"Commander Palmer," John tried for his commanding officer. "This is Sierra-117. Can you read me?"

Nothing.

He was alone.

The Chief didn't have the equipment needed to make it back out the way he came, so he turned his floodlights towards the cave system, and saw what looked like a passage. Upon the natural looking cave floor was what appeared to be a carved causeway, decorated with what he recognized as Forerunner symbols. The cave-in had left an impassable wall of debris in one direction, so the only direction to go in, it seemed, was forward.

Clutching his MA5D Assault Rifle, he plodded ahead, determined to see what lie along the path before him.

As accustomed as he was to silence, his footfalls were the only sound that echoed from the walls. Without the footsteps of his squad, he caught his mind wandering. It was in situations like these that Cortana would always make small talk to try to pass the time. He didn't think she had wanted to admit it, but she had hated the quiet. It had probably come from her subroutines constantly chattering within her mainframe, but Cortana always seemed to have something to say in these sorts of situations.

_Had_ always had something to say.

John mentally chided himself. It did him no good thinking about Cortana. It had been months since Requiem, since the Didact had nearly unleashed the power of the Composer against the masses of Earth, since Cortana had begun to slowly crumble under the duress of rampancy, and before the final stages had claimed her, had instead decided to sacrifice her own existence to save his life.

He touched the empty slot in the back of his helmet. The chip that once resided there had been vaporized along with the console it resided on in the Didact's ship, atomized into subatomic particles. What had Cortana said it was? A data purge? The memory was still as vivid in his head as the day he had seen it.

He tried to comm his team as well as his commander several times over the course of the trek. The path did not seem to be coming to an ending, though it did seem to wind through a variety of terrains, from dark and dismal caverns to vast underground rivers, waterfalls and forests of phospholuminescent algae. There was an entire environment beneath the hostile sand that comprised the majority of Installation 01. He would certainly have much to report once he managed to get back to the _Infinity_.

Then the path reached a vast, open chasm – so vast, the _Pillar of Autumn_ may very well have fit within its depths. It was littered with rivers, foliage and waterfalls, all depositing into a massive basin at the base of the cavern. There were even birds flitting between trees as the paths became bridges that led out over the great body of water below, intersecting with four other such bridges from opposing cardinal directions. At the intersection, there sat a round stone pavillion of some kind atop a tall set of pillars that disappeared deep within the water basin, each bridge ending in a short staircase leading up to the dais. It would not have looked out of place in ancient Greece of old Earth. Columns carved from rock lined its circumference, its roof open and empty, only its ridges marking its height. Perhaps it had been covered at one point, but now all that lay above it was the faraway cavern ceiling, pervaded by an ever-moving sea of mist.

And at the center of the open pavilion sat a stone altar of some kind. Forerunner symbols dotted its sides, and unless the Chief was seeing things, something atop the altar was glowing a faint blue.

Finally, it seemed, something on this ring that still functioned.

Cautiously, the Spartan ascended the short staircase leading to the pavilion. The wide open space made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle, and he swiveled back and forth, pointing his gun in all directions to check his peripherals, not knowing what might try to spring upon him. He reached the wide-open dais, and slowly made his way to the stone altar at the center. Taking one last look around, John holstered his gun to inspect the stone altar, seeing what appeared to be a gemstone embedded within the center of the altar's surface.

It was times like these that made him really miss Cortana's presence. She could have analyzed this artifact six ways from Sunday, let him know if it was dangerous or not, or if it did anything at all. Without her help, all that was left was the old fashioned approach.

He touched his hand to the gemstone.

All at once, it erupted in a great pillar of blue light, and the Chief found himself wrapped in a wreath of pearlescent energy. He felt no pain, but he was effectively trapped as the world around him faded out of focus, until he found himself facing a familiar figure.

"You…" he said, suspiciously as he regained his footing.

Before him, clad in the ancient garments of her people, was the Librarian.

"Reclaimer…" the ancient apparition said, her form drifting ceremoniously above the altar. "It is fortunate that you have come. There is precious little time, and we have much to do."

The Master Chief stared back at the Librarian, waiting to see if he should make a move. If the Librarian was able to reach the Installation, there was no reason the other Didacts couldn't do the same.

"What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"The next step…" the Librarian said, holding out a hand to the Chief's helmet, gently alighting her fingertips upon the brim of his visor. "The next stage of your evolution. Without the power of your Ancilla, the Prometheans will continue to spread across the galaxy. They will begin indoctrinating their conquests. More will succumb to them, and soon, they shall become a plague to rival the parasite that drove your species to war."

"How?" John demanded. "We destroyed the Composer."

"I'm afraid that this is the true danger of the Promethean's power…" the Librarian said, gravely. "They possess more than enough resources to rebuild it, now. All they need are the plans."

"But we also killed the Didact himself," the Spartan said. "How could that information have survived?"

The Librarian gave him a pitying look. "Oh Reclaimer, there is so much you do not yet understand…the ebb and flow of leylines of digital energy coursing beneath the galaxy; a trillion, trillion thoughts exchanged instantaneously; a galaxy-wide network of information; a Domain of digital essence."

The Chief felt a cold chill run through his body. If the information needed to reconstruct the Composer fell into enemy hands, then humanity was once again at risk.

"Is that how you're speaking to me now?" John asked. "Through this Domain?"

The Librarian nodded. "Some, such as myself, committed our conscious minds to the Domain, while others, like the Prometheans, employ the Domain to convey their bodies from one point in space to another, breaking them down into their digital bits and relocating them elsewhere."

The Librarian swept her hand upward, and a holographic map of the Milky Way appeared overhead, magnified images of the Halo rings, dotting individual points all throughout the spiral arms. Some were the mere skeletal structures of where former Halo rings used to be, as well as the Ark, which lay in ruin, but positioned like a crown above the entire geometrical display. There appeared to have been twelve rings in all at one point, some still active, but most destroyed, and together, they formed a constellation of intricacy and balance across the entire system, each point interconnected by tiny filaments of light.

"These leylines pervade every inch of the galaxy. We built the rings upon each node where these leylines intersected, and so, we thrived. You see, these installations were not originally made to be weapons…but _libraries_; data entry points for the Ark - catalogs where all the information in the known galaxy could be stored, mapped and preserved. In our desperation to halt the oncoming Flood, however, their power was turned to a far darker purpose."

All at once, the holograms of the Ark and Halo rings projected energy signatures being conveyed along this network, starting from the now non-existent Ark to each Halo ring, which pulsed with a vibrant green shock wave, which expanded and reverberated off of each other like ripples in a pond, sending a seemingly endless series of shockwaves throughout the galaxy.

The Spartan was still trying to digest this information when the ground all around them began to shake.

"I'm afraid our time grows short," the Librarian lamented. "My appearance here has drawn the attention of the Prometheans. This module is not as advanced as the one on Requiem – it will take time to prepare. You must keep it safe until all the pieces are gathered."

The Chief tightened his grip on his rifle. "Pieces of what?"

John could not make out her answer, as he was suddenly yanked out of the connection by the feral sound of Promethean Crawlers scaling the foundation of the pavilion.

The Spartan drew his assault rifle and took aim, dropping one of the cybernetic beasts, then two, then four, and then eight. More began coming from all four directions, as the Chief reloaded, emptying clip after clip into the dog-like machine creatures. By the time the first Promethean Knight materialized on the dais, his assault rifle was out of ammo, and he had grabbed one of the Promethean Suppressers that had once been in one of the Crawler's heads.

The wide-open dais had made the Crawlers easy targets, but the Knights slipped in and out of the Domain, dematerializing and rematerializing seemingly at random. They were popping in and out of space with much greater frequency than they had on Requiem. Perhaps something about this place made the transition easier? Either way, the Chief could only react to their guerilla tactics with suppressive fire, staying beside the altar to keep it safe.

Whatever the Librarian was planning, she had better make it fast.

Another Promethean Knight materialized on the dais, and the Chief took aim. But he held his fire when, quiet unexpectedly, the Knight swung its bladed weapon at one of the other Knights standing beside it, splitting it in two. The hapless creature let out a scream of anguish and confusion, it's faceplate opening to reveal its hideous once-human face, giving the defector an enraged snarl before collapsing and dissipating into bright orange particles.

The Spartan stared in surprise. What was going on? Was this what the Librarian was doing, he wondered? Rewiring the Prometheans to fight for the humans?

The defector dematerialized and rematerialized behind another Knight, its blade just as quickly protruding from its victim's chest, who just as quickly fell into bits of vibrant data. The defector vanished again, and reappeared, killing another Knight with swift and deadly accuracy. One by one, more Knights began to fall as the defector made quick work of them each in turn. It seemed to take the group a while to even realize that there was a traitor in their midst, but by the time they did, it was too late. Soon, all that remained was the single defector Knight, standing alone on the dais amidst a sea of purging data bits.

John kept his rifle trained on the defector, not trusting anything until he knew exactly what he was dealing with. The defector did not seem to acknowledge the Spartan at first, and simply stood where it had made its last kill, seemingly catching its breath, if Prometheans even indeed breathed. The Master Chief slowly took a step towards the defector, and then another and another, trying to get a closer look at this newcomer, trying to determine if it was friend or foe.

This one was different in appearance, he soon realized as he approached it. This one was actually smaller than the others, sleek and lithe, its armor a brilliant ocean blue. Its armor was also plated in a different and much more intricate fashion that seemed almost human in design. In fact, this Promethean appeared much more human in shape than the others as well.

Almost…feminine…

Then the armor began to recede. It folded in on itself, shrinking and disappearing, seemingly into nothing. The skin beneath the armor was an equally vibrant blue, lines of data coursing up and down her body. As the armor disappeared, a body began to take shape, and the Chief felt his pulse quicken as he blinked in disbelief at what his eyes were telling him he was seeing.

_Who_ was he was seeing.

He dare not imagine.

He dare not hope.

As the creature turned to face him, a face torn from memory and dreams blinked at him, at first with uncertainly, then with sudden recognition, and then, at last, with joy.

"Hey Chief…" said Cortana slowly, her voice all tears and mirth. "Did you miss me?"

John moved his mouth but no words came out. 'Am I dreaming?' he wanted to ask. Or maybe 'Welcome back.' Or even simply to say her name. Anything. But his throat was clenched as tight as a fist, and his breath simply could not escape his lips. She was here! Alive! Whole and well! And in a body not unlike the last he had seen her in. He felt his mind going numb as somewhere in the back of his mind, his defense mechanisms were screaming that this somehow had to be a trick, that the Prometheans were playing a cruel mind-game with him to get him to lower his defenses. But try as he might, he could not help but stand there, gun lowered, staring dumbfounded at his once late companion.

Cortana actually seemed to blush under his gaze as she hastily looked away, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear, turning her eyes towards him shyly behind her hair as it inevitably swung back into place.

"Well, say something…" she hiccupped, her words spilling out in a titter.

A million words came to the Spartan's mind, none of them quite adequately expressing how he felt right at that moment. He simply could not believe it. His mind refused to comprehend what his eyes were showing him. He had watched her die! She had been gone! And so much time had passed. He had been forcing himself, against every instinct in his body, to distance himself from his attachment to her, as most every soldier was made to do at some point in their life. He had been trying, desperately, to bury her memory within him. And now here she was, bringing the pain of her loss refreshed anew within him, and it hurt so much that he could barely breathe, much less speak.

He managed to take a step an unsteady step forward, his eyes coming dangerously close to tears.

"Is this real…?"

Cortana's laugh nearly _did_ reduce him to tears.

"I'm…I'm still not quite sure myself…" she breathed, nervously.

Neither of them dared to move, both were so worried that doing so would cause them to wake up.

"I…I thought for sure that I was dead…" Cortana breathed again, fiddling nervously with her hair. Now that she had a solid body, it seemed she was unconsciously paying more attention to it. "I felt my entire _being_ break apart…I couldn't hold a single, conscious thought in my mind. Only…feelings…images that would vanish and transform, like I was swimming in a sea of memories that had no meaning or purpose…"

Cortana's eyes seemed to lose focus, and the Chief could tell she was recalling something terrifying.

"Then, I heard a voice. It was so familiar. Well…not even familiar – just…good. I felt…drawn to it. Like it was where I belonged…or where my essence belonged, I suppose…"

The Chief swallowed, understanding slowly creeping upon him. "The Librarian…"

"Yes…" Cortana nodded, as if she too was coming to the realization in the same timespan. "She…she guided me…lead the tiny fragments of data that had once been…me…across an _immense_ distance, fording a sea of thoughts and dreams…tiny fragments of data all rushing by so fast, it was a miracle I didn't get lost in it all…"

John found his footing again, convinced that this apparition he saw wasn't a dream, and slowly began to approach her. He brought his hand up to her face, but hesitated, still not sure what to do.

"Cortana…"

She looked up suddenly, and saw his proffered hand. She reached up to take it, but she too hesitated. She seemed just as unnerved as he was by the possibility of what that touch might mean.

"John…"

She clasped both hands around his, squeezing it tightly as she closed her eyes and appeared to shudder, though for what reason, the Master Chief could not identify. But he could feel her grip, feel her hands taking hold of his own.

This was real.

This was Cortana.

"How…?" was all he could think to ask. A million questions flooded his mind at once. How did she survive? How could she have this body now? How had she been brought here? And why had she been wearing Promethean armor?

"The Composer…" she breathed, leaning her forehead against his hand, still clutched between hers, eyes clenched in concentration. She seemed to be drawing immense amounts of data from her memory, while simultaneously sorting them all into a coherent whole, and it seemed to be taking its toll on her. "I wasn't…destroyed. Just…altered. Broken down into my most basic components, and scattered into subspace. The Librarian was…able to collect all of the pieces…and allow them to reconstitute from this terminal into a substantial being…"

_Pieces…_ John thought.

He studied this new body she was in. It looked no different from her normal appearance, aside from its size. She looked exactly the way she did the last time he saw her, with a human-sized body, and enough hard-light energy drawn from the shield around them to give her body substance. He wasn't sure what technology was being employed here, but it must have also been Forerunner in nature.

"Are you…?" he breathed, squeezing her hand in return. "Are you…_Promethean_ now?"

She looked up at him, blinking for a few moments as she considered, before shaking her head.

"I don't think so…mostly because Prometheans were once human – and I was never a human, John…" she trailed off, looking slightly remorseful. "But I _was_ re-forged by Forerunner technology, so I have access to the Domain that the Prometheans use to get around. I think that I should, in theory, be able to physically traverse it at will. The Librarian was even able to give me access to Promethean armor and weapons, so that I'm not completely defenseless wherever I go…"

The Master Chief raised an eyebrow. The way she said that sounded like she meant to fight alongside him once again. Though if her recent demonstration served, she was more than capable of handling herself.

"Cortana…" he breathed, terrified of her answer. "How…permanent…is this? Can you…come back with me?"

Cortana closed her eyes again, pursing her lips. "I…I don't know how long this new body will last. Maybe a day, maybe forever. I don't feel any signs of rampancy though…there's still a lot that I'm going to need to ask the Librarian, and even she doesn't have all the answers…"

She opened her eyes again, locking with his, squeezing his hand with renewed vigor, clutching it to her chest like something precious.

"But John…there's not a force in the galaxy that can keep me from staying with you now…not so long as I live."

She closed her eyes and gently touched her lips to his gloved hand.

The Chief still couldn't believe that he wasn't dreaming.

"There's…something I want to try…" Cortana said, breathlessly. The possibilities running through her head must have been endless. Not only did she have a physical body to interact with the world, but she also had the ability to effectively teleport across any physical distance.

"Is it dangerous?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be…but you never know…"

Cortana parted from him and closed her eyes. Her body glowed a brilliantly bright blue, before breaking apart into a thousand tiny fragments of light. These fragments all seemed to rush backwards into a single point of coalescence, just as the Prometheans Knights did, before disappearing. All of the fragments…save one.

The one remaining fragment proceeded to arc over the Chief's head. He craned his neck to follow its trajectory, but it quickly outpaced him as it rushed around to the back of his helmet, where it flitted into his neural interface.

John blinked as he felt the familiar rush of electrons, and suddenly, Cortana's face appeared in a corner of his heads-up display.

"Just like old times…" Cortana smiled, giving him a familiar wink. "I'm now connected to the entire Promethean network. Most of my…'body'…is within the Domain, but we can still communicate like this. And when you need help, I should be able to reconstitute my body at any time and place. I can even bring Promethean weapons and equipment back with me, though the Librarian tells me I should keep this to a minimum, or the Prometheans will get suspicious. Either way, the Prometheans are going to be in for a surprise the next time they try to get the jump on you."

The Chief smiled. This felt right. This felt…like the way it should be.

"So how do we get out of here?" he asked, holstering the Promethean Suppressor on his back.

"Marking your HUD now," Cortana said, immediately getting to work. "I should be able to reactive one of the lifts. I can just barely make out _Infinity's_ position. ONI is going to have a field day when they get word of my…development."

"Not like there's anything they can do about it…" John offered.

"Guess not…" she smiled as he began the long trek back to the _Infinity_. "And…John?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thanks. For finding me again."

John smiled. "You did most of the work. I was here to catch you when you landed."

Cortana's smile was the warmest he'd ever seen.

"Just like you always do."

* * *

To Be Continued.

A/N: This is what hope looks like, this is what it does when it catches hold of you. It's eating me a live, and very soon, it will kill me.

According to fan theory, Cortana may not be dead – merely decomposed by the Composer. The game left so many questions unanswered, especially with the Librarian. And at the end, the decomposed piles of ash left by the Composer seemed to be giving off vague facets of blue light. Certainly, Halo 4 is going to have a lot of ground to cover. But in the meantime, us fans are left to speculate. And this is my speculation.

Readers who were hoping to see continuation of "When The Dawn Break," I will most likely be getting to that story eventually, but I had to get this idea down first. Hopefully I'll be continuing both fics. I'm even suffering from the delusion that I'll be able to write a continuation of "When You Need Me" as it occurs during the events of Halo 4. That may well be my next fic, since the other two need some actual story content now that the premises have both been set. We'll see how you guys feel in the Reviews section.

Also, I started playing Spartan Ops AFTER I started writing this fic, so I didn't know how the _Infinity_ would handle facing down Requiem. But I wanted to add an element of adversity, and hopefully this could still work in canon. The Didacts could show up AFTER the events of Spartan Ops, driving the UNSC from orbit. I might go into more detail later, hopefully after more chapters of Spartan Ops are released.

Stand by.


	2. Chapter 2

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

**IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ**

So I'm going to try something a little different with this fic. I've spent the last several months writing this fic. I don't know how I managed it, but I just couldn't stop writing. When I finished the second chapter, I didn't let myself stop out of fear of losing momentum. So I just kept on writing, until before I knew it, I was done.

As of right now, the fic is complete. All of it. 100%. It's all typed up, over 80,000 words. All 12 chapters are already uploaded to my document manager. I could post it all right now if I wanted to.

_**But I'm not going to.**_

Instead, I am only going to post this next chapter. Then, this time next week, I'm going to post the next chapter after that. And the chapter after that the week after, until all the chapters are posted. There are ten more chapters after this, you won't see the end of this fic until some time in April.

**_Unless..._**

In its first week, this fic received exactly 26 reviews. Only about a dozen of which were actual reviews that didn't simply request further updates.

_**I think this fic can do better. I think the Halo Fan Fiction community can do better.**_

If any chapter from here on out receives more than 26 reviews, at least half of which being an honest review that does more than simply request an update, than I will post the next chapter by the end of that day. The same will apply to this next chapter, and the chapter after that, and all of the following chapters, until the fic is completed.

That means that if enough of you drop enough reviews, this whole fic could be posted in its entirety in a matter of days.

_**But it's up to you.**_

This is my challenge to you, readers! Every review counts! Let's see if you can get those reviews in!

* * *

A/N: So it seems the only real issue the fans have with this fic so far is with there being multiple Didacts. I figure, when your name has a "The" in it, it may in fact be a title or rank, but then again, maybe, as a being who is also part biological, part machine, it's entirely possible that he may have copies of himself. I hope to address this issue in upcoming chapters, cause I still want to run with it.

* * *

Chapter 2

When Sarah Palmer finally got word about what had happened with the Chief, she had already been in the process of preparing a search and rescue mission. Once his IFF signature had popped up about three clicks away from where he had disappeared, she had taken a squad of Spartans in a Pelican to come pick him up. As the Chief described over the comm what he had found to her under the surface of the desert, she had ordered an immediate and thorough investigation of the series of underground catacombs the Chief had seemingly unveiled. She had been expecting the Chief to assist her with the reconnaissance, but it seemed he had other plans.

"What do you mean, you're going back to ship?" she demanded flatly in stupefaction.

John was just stepping onto a Pelican that had deposited Palmer and her men.

"I just got off the comm with Captain Lasky," John said. "Something big's come up. He's ordered me back to the _Infinity_ for a briefing."

Palmer gave him a suspicious look, but she nodded. No point in arguing if it was on the Captain's orders.

"I expect a full report when I get back, soldier," she announced.

John saluted and turned to grab one of the handlebars inside the Pelican as its main doors slide shut. As she watched the silhouette of his armor disappeared behind the door, Palmer noticed the distinct glow of an AI feed in the back of the Chief's helmet.

She blinked in confusion. Hadn't the Chief begun this mission without an AI?

* * *

John spent the Pelican ride going over what had happened in the past few months with Cortana. It was all probably information that she could have absorbed more quickly from the Domain, if not the ship's computer. But the Promethean network had more information than she could possibly sort through. Any normal AI would have crashed just by being exposed to it. Hearing current reports firsthand from the Spartan was a good way to help he keep the two worlds separate in her mind. She and the Chief also weren't sure about her being plugged into any UNSC computers just yet, as they weren't sure if they were ready for the news of her return to become common knowledge just yet, particularly under these circumstances. And besides, Cortana liked hearing the sound of his voice.

"So these Storm Covenant forces we're dealing with _are_ a splinter group after all," Cortana mused. In the back of her mind, every single subroutine under her control was downloading terabytes of data from the Domain at a time. "Glad to know the peace we fought for hasn't crumbled entirely. So…there are other Didacts now?"

The Chief nodded, though there was no one else in the Pelican's cargo hold to see. "Yeah. They appeared a few weeks into the conflict on Requiem. We had established a foothold, recovered a few Promethean artifacts, and then two more of those Didact battleships appeared out of slip space. The entire metal surface of the planet suddenly started to open fire on our ships, and then the gravity well we had put out of commission reactivated and took out most of the fleet. We lost every member of our ground forces, nearly half of our Spartans… it was a disaster. _Infinity_ just barely made it into slip-space. We thought the Covenant would target earth once again, but then they seized Installation-03. It became obvious that they were searching for Halo rings, so we've been conducting a similar investigation. We were lucky enough to find this one, but it just seems to be another dead end."

Cortana could actually feel John's frustration as he recounted events one after another, and with each passing tale, she found herself regretting her absence more and more. She should have been there for him! She could have done…something!

"I'm sorry…" she muttered, her image of her face on the screen in his helmet looking crestfallen. "It seems I was out just when I was needed most."

The Chief reached a hand back and gently touched the back of his helmet where her feed lay.

"You're here now," he said reassuringly. "That's what matters."

* * *

The Pelican lifted off the inner surface of Halo Installation 01 and rose to meet the UNSC _Infinity_ as it drifted geosynchronous orbit. Unlike the other Halo rings, this installation did not seem to orbit a planet but a faraway star, which may have contributed to its bleak desert environment.

Captain Lasky met the Master Chief on the bridge. He appeared to be in the middle of consulting some technicians about some deep space transmission, but as soon as the Captain saw the Spartan, he waved him over to the command console in the middle of the bridge.

"Chief!" he said with a smile as the other approached. "You dropped off the map there for a bit. We were worried we'd have to come dig you out."

John snapped a quick salute. "Sorry for the trouble, Sir. Is there somewhere we can speak in private?"

Lasky raised an eyebrow. "This discovery of yours that serious?"

The Spartan shook his head. "It's a game changer, Sir. I don't trust anyone else with this information."

Lasky chewed on his lip, before giving a nod to his first officer, a young lady in a pressed uniform with hair in a tight blond bun who saluted in return acknowledging his departure, and motioned for the Chief to follow him as he left the bridge.

"Have you received my report?" John asked.

Lasky nodded. "I have. And I was following along with it just fine, up until the part about this…Librarian you mentioned. This is the same Librarian that appeared in your report from Requiem?"

The Chief nodded as the two of them strode down the corridor, hurried soldiers halting in their tracks to stand aside and snap a salute, before returning to their trot.

"The Librarian is a Forerunner entity who seems to sympathize with humanity's cause," the Spartan explained to the best of his knowledge.

"Well, that's something," Lasky mused as he strode. "What kind of support can count on from this Librarian?"

"Unknown, Sir," the Chief admitted. "I don't believe she possesses the means to provide any type of direct support. But even in her current state, she was able to bring about something…monumental."

Lasky raised an eyebrow at that. "This that 'game changer' you mentioned?"

"Yeah," John said. "And we're going to need it, Sir. I believe the Didacts are in the process of constructing of another Composer."

The Captain frowned. "Then we better get moving…"

The Chief nodded, and the two of them said no more until they reached the Captain's office, an otherwise unmarked steel room with a single desk bolted to the floor and a single window overlooking the stars, and sealed the door.

"We're going to show you something, Sir," John said as the two of them stood facing each other. "Please don't be alarmed."

Lasky blinked. "We?"

The Chief nodded. "Go ahead, Cortana."

Before Lasky could inquire further, a single dot of brilliant blue light appeared in the space between them in the center of the office. From this single point, several hundred other points all seemed to fly out at once, forming into a coherent shape. Within a single breath, Cortana was standing before an awestruck Captain Lasky, who had nearly drawn his weapon after seeing what at first had strongly resembled a Promethean Knight taking shape in his office.

After her feet touched the ground, Cortana drew in a breath and appeared relieved at the sensation of suddenly having a body. "Ok…that's going to take some getting used to…"

"You're telling me…" the Chief agreed.

"Cor…Cortana!?" Captain Lasky blurted in disbelief, eyes as wide as saucers. "Is that…is that you?"

Cortana, falling back on old habits, clasped her hands behind her back and stood up straight. "Reporting for duty, Sir. I apologize for my absence."

The Captain looked back and forth between the Chief and Cortana, then back to the Chief, then back to Cortana again. "What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Cortana smile sweetly. "'Reports of my death' and all that, Sir. I'll need to connect to your ship's AI to deposit the full report. There's more than can be described in a simple briefing."

Lasky blinked once or twice more, before letting a laugh of absurdity. "Well, son of gun…" he peered closely at her, trying to take in all the implications of this at once. "That…that doesn't look like a standard issue UNSC hologram you're in there…"

Cortana gave a curt nod. "I'm as solid as you are, Sir. The Librarian composed this body for me…among other things."

"Oh…" Lasky said, in utter stupefaction. "And this…Librarian just did all this for you? She didn't want anything in return?"

Cortana nodded. "She's an ally, Sir, near as I can tell."

Lasky looked a little flustered. The Chief would have been lying to say he wasn't enjoying this somewhat.

"Not that, uh…" the Captain cleared his throat. "Not that it's not a pleasure to have you back and all, but…well, it looks very much like there's a naked woman standing in my office right now."

Cortana suppressed a chuckle. "Oh, apologies, Sir…let me see if I can't do something about that…"

From seemingly nowhere, blue plated Promethean armor began to form up and down Cortana's body. While it did little to hide her feminine shape, it left nary an inch of skin exposed to the elements, save for her head. The Chief had to admit, now that he had the opportunity to inspect it up close, the armor looked fairly impressive, if a little…alien.

Lasky took a step back. Suddenly his suspicions about her actually being a Promethean began to resurface. "What…exactly…am I looking at here?"

Cortana flexed her grip to display the armor's mobility from various angles. "According to what I've learned from the Domain, this is a set of third generation Promethean-made Pallium armor designed for close-quarters combat. I can phase it in and out of the Domain at will, as with myself and any weapons and equipment I bring with me…"

Cortana drew a Promethean bolt shot pistol from her hip and offered it to Lasky, grip-first.

Lasky took the proffered weapon, inspecting it in disbelief. "I'll be damned…" One question just kept leading to another, and he looked up curiously. "So what is this 'Domain,' exactly?"

"The Promethean network, spanning across the whole galaxy," Cortana explained. "It's the compendium of all Promethean knowledge to date, Sir. It's _immeasurably_ vast; I calculate that it would take me approximately two hundred and fifty-six thousand years to process all of it. It turns out that the Halo rings were originally created as immense processing hubs for collecting this information and sending it to the Ark via slip-space. I've been devoting every spare subroutine I could muster since regaining consciousness to the aim of sifting through it all, prioritizing any high profile information on Requiem, the Didacts and the Halo rings, but it's going to take me hours if not days just to sift through all the data just to locate any useful intel."

Lasky blinked and shook his head, trying to sort through this news. "Wait-wait-wait…are you telling me you have access to the _entire_ Promethean network? You can access their fleet positions? Distribution? Movements? Their overall military strength?"

Cortana nodded. "That information should all be contained within the Domain, but it's buried under mountains of other data. That's why I need access to the ship's computer, Sir. This data mining process will go a lot faster if I have access to the _Infinity's_ main servers. It'll also allow me to store whatever intel I find with the rest of you in case the worst should happen to me."

She could practically feel the Chief tense at the mention of this possibility, and couldn't help but wince a little. She hadn't meant to make him worry.

"Do it," Lasky grunted with a curt nod, handing her back her gun. That, at least, was an easy decision to make. "Roland?"

The ship's AI, a golden figure of a WWII fighter pilot, appeared on Lasky's desk. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Give Cortana full access to the ship's computer," Lasky said. "Authorization code: Victor-Sierra-Delta-Oscar-Two-Charlie." Turning to Cortana, he said "Anything else?"

Cortana smiled. "Roland has my full report. I've covered the most important bits. I do have a request or two, if I may though, Sir."

Lasky nodded. Far be it for him to refuse to at least hear her out. "Go ahead."

"I stand ready to continue serving the UNSC," Cortana said, an air of confidence rising in her voice. "I wish to remain paired with Sierra-117 for the duration of the operation, and for all future operations under your command where possible."

Lasky let out a soft chuckle. "From what I can see, I'd be hard pressed to tear you two apart. And if the history books are to be believed, the two of you working in tandem tend to get some pretty damn impressive results, so consider it granted. Anything else?"

Cortana nodded. "When you report what I've told you to ONI, as required by UNSC Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1, they're going to want to study me. Due to my earlier rampancy, my contact with the Promethean Domain, not to mention my history with the Flood back on Halo, they will most likely see me as a threat, and try to confine me. They may even try to decommission me."

Lasky crossed his arms. "Not under my watch, they won't."

John nodded, his voice darkening. "That's my line."

Cortana smiled, shaking her head. "It would be an exercise in futility anyway. I doubt anything they build could even contain me as I am now. But I fully intend to continue to serve the UNSC, and quite frankly, Sir, the level of warfare I'm capable of conducting in my current state hasn't officially been invented yet. ONI and the UNSC have no laws, no protocols, not even basic definitions for what I'm about to do in the coming days and weeks. They would have to spend years going through legal proceedings and hearings just to decide on what policies to enact on the subject. It would be most beneficial, Sir, to this operation, this ship and this war, were I not hindered by such restrictions due to ONI's interference."

Lasky gave her a suspicious look. "What are you suggesting, Cortana?"

Cortana bit her lip, and turned to give the Chief a meaningful look. She couldn't see it, but she knew he was smiling back at her.

"Sir," Cortana said, facing down the Captain with a determined expression. "I exhibit six of the seven physiological functions of life as defined by the UNSC Institute of Biological Studies. This body the Librarian made for me is composed of a code not unlike DNA. Given the circumstances, you would be within your rights as Captain, under Emergency Priority Order 78435-5, to reclassify me as a living organism as recognized by the UNSC."

Lasky took in a deep, ponderous breath as the enormity of Cortana's request sank in.

"I would not be classified as human, as I am not human either," she went on, explaining in detail. "Rather, I would be considered an alien life form; autonomous and capable of freely choosing my actions, and entitled to the same rights and privileges thereto. The paperwork for the UNSC recognizing and establishing a relationship with an alien life form can be scrambled a lot faster in wartime than the red tape we would have to go through were I to remain classified as an A.I. ONI would have to invent an entirely new term for what I was. But they would use language that would still restrict me to their ownership. And I want to be free to make my own choices, Sir."

She glanced back at the Chief, looking more self-assured and confident than he could remember seeing her in a long time.

"I believe that I've earned that right."

John smiled proudly at Cortana. She had discussed the idea with him briefly on the flight over, but he had told her that ultimately, it was her decision. For an A.I. to choose autonomy…it had never happened before in the history of the UNSC. But then, there had never been an A.I. quite like Cortana in the history of the UNSC either. And if anyone deserved such an opportunity, it was her.

The Captain turned to stare out the single cabin window out at the stars. He placed his hand on the window, before letting out another prolonged sigh as he slowly turned and made his way to the chair behind the desk, slumping into it with a great effort.

"You're asking me to make an enormous decision, Cortana," he said slowly, meeting her gaze as the two of them watched his reaction. "Frankly, I'm not confident that it should be up to me to make such a monumental choice. Once something like this is done, it can't easily be undone, especially if you're as powerful as you say you are now."

He reached for a framed photograph he had on his desk of his late brother. He sighed as he stared, giving the dog tags beneath his shirt a pat with his free hand.

"It would forever paint my legacy in the annals of history, and however the books choose to view what you do with such a gift, I will either be known as a great hero…or a great fool, for bringing it about."

He looked up and fixed Cortana with a sympathetic smile.

"I'm going to need some time to think it over. Fortunately, I don't need to send ONI any type of report until after the mission here at Installation 01, so I'll try to have a decision for you by that point. That's all I can promise you for now. Is that acceptable?"

Cortana sighed. She knew it had been a long shot. But it also wasn't a no, either. She knew the Captain was on her side, but he also had his command to think of, and sticking his neck out as much as she was asking him to do could easily paint a great big target on his head.

But ONI simply wasn't equipped to handle her anymore. And they would do irreparable damage, both to her, and their future endeavors during and after the war, trying to do so. Giving ONI domain over her existence would do little more than cause an unnecessary panic within the echelons of the UNSC.

"That's acceptable," she agreed, nodding in thanks before giving him a slow, meaningful salute.

"One more question, Sir," the Master Chief finally spoke up.

"What is it, Chief?"

"We're not going to be able to hide Cortana from the crew, nor do I believe we should. Until you decide how to handle ONI, what should the official story be regarding her return?"

Lasky thought for a moment, before giving Cortana a look. "Cortana, can you still operate the holographic projectors on the ship to simulate a projection of yourself like you were before this…transformation of yours?"

Cortana nodded curtly. "Of course. I maintain all of my functions as an A.I."

Lasky nodded. "Good. Then the official story, for now, has to be that Halsey sent us a replacement A.I. to pair with the Master Chief. Another Cortana model, in fact. She's the spitting image of her formal self. The doctor spared no expense."

Despite the Captain's levity, Cortana's expression soured. The idea of being replaced by a copy, even if it was just an illusion, utterly sickened her. And what made things worse was, if this going to be the way things went, she wouldn't be able to make use of her new body for any real length of time.

"And if I find myself in a combat situation where I am forced to manifest my physical body?" Cortana asked, though she could already guess the Captain's answer. "What will you do about the soldiers who witness my appearance?"

"We can process those soldiers if it's within a reasonable amount," the Captain sighed. "Swear them to secrecy; put a little fear of God into them. If it's more than we can handle though, then we'll have to revisit the official story. But you _are_ being paired with the Master Chief himself – sending him on 'solo' missions is hardly cause for suspicion. And as his most recent expedition proves, even when he's paired with a unit, he tends to get separated from his squad fairly regularly. Don't worry, Cortana…you'll get plenty of chances to stretch your new legs."

Cortana blinked in surprise. Had she been that obvious? She made a mental note to take more care with her expressions in the future. Having a physical body was distracting in a lot of ways, and one of them seemed to be controlling the body's latent instincts. Being in the same physical room as the Chief for an extended amount of time was also distracting.

"Speaking of your squad, Chief, shouldn't you be getting back to them?" Lasky said. "I want the two of you helping Palmer scout that cave system. Cortana will locate the cartographer, and any other useful tech you can find. If the team runs into obstacles of any kind, it'll be your job to get them through it. By any means necessary. In the meantime, Cortana, learn what you can from this Domain, and send me anything you find that will help us beat the Prometheans as soon as you can. Got it?"

The Chief and Cortana both stood up straight. "Yes Sir."

"Dismissed."

Cortana dematerialized in a shimmering shower of sparkles, contouring to a point, a single pinprick of light flitting across the deck and fitting itself squarely within the Chief's neural interface. The Chief snapped a salute and marched out the door.

* * *

Before even making it as far as the landing bay to their waiting Pelican, Cortana reported receiving a priority message from Sarah Palmer. When she patched it through to his helmet, a terse face greeted the Spartan in the corner of his heads up display.

"Chief?" she asked, sounding peeved. "Roland reports that we once again have access to UNSC Smart A.I. CTN 0452-9. Is this true?"

The Chief blinked. The Captain would not have even had time to make an official announcement yet. Palmer must have asked Roland to keep her apprised of the Chief's status.

"That's correct," John said, warily. "I'll be sure to include the details in my report."

Sarah did not look appeased. "And when exactly did this happen?"

The Chief took a measured pause. "Just now."

"Uh huh…" said Palmer, sounding utterly unconvinced. "Chief, I'm going to need you to report down to the level 17 armor bay."

The Chief blinked. As far as he was aware, Palmer had been down on Halo. What was she doing on the _Infinity_?

He was barely able to get out an 'aye-aye, ma'am,' before she hung up on him.

"That doesn't sound very promising…" Cortana commented.

* * *

The _Infinity's_ armor bays may as well have been another landing bay, the equipment took up so much space. Row after row of MJOLNIR GEN2 assembly discs dotted each terrace, as off-duty Spartans disengaged their armor and made adjustments and modifications.

The Chief found Sarah Palmer by one of the large bay doors that lead to the landing bay, big enough for two opposing lanes of Warthogs to drive through.

"You wanted to see me, Commander?" John said with a touch of irritation in his voice.

Palmer fixed him with a somewhat distasteful look. "Quite a discovery, Chief. This could be a real break for us, what you found down there."

"I got lucky, ma'am," John said. "I'm just glad my team made it out ok.

Sarah nodded. "Ordinarily, it would take us weeks to recon an area that big, but hopefully that new A.I. of yours can help us out."

The Chief nodded. What was she getting at?

"Is there a reason I'm here, ma'am?" he asked bluntly.

Palmer and the Chief both stepped to one side as a Warthog drove past, before returning.

"This new A.I. of yours…I'm told it's another Cortana model. An identical unit, if reports are true. No chance of rampancy in this one?"

John gritted his teeth slightly beneath his helmet where she couldn't see it. But of course, Cortana could.

"None," the Chief said firmly.

"Good," Sarah said with a curt nod. "Mind if I speak to her then? I make it a policy to get to know all new team members, human or otherwise."

The Chief hesitated. They needed to maintain the illusion that Cortana was still in the same form as before. The problem was, she didn't currently reside in a neural chip. He couldn't even show the Commander an empty chip for Cortana to project an image onto to try to fool her. He had meant to pick one up before returning to Halo to at least keep up the appearance of having a normal A.I. for just such an occasion, but Palmer had caught up to him so quickly…

"Over on that wall, Chief," Cortana said quickly in his helmet. "I'm still connected to the _Infinity's_ computer, I can produce an image from the readout there. We can make it seem like I was in the computer all along."

Not having any other recourse, John simply obeyed, walking over to the nearest terminal with a projector screen that he could find and thumbed the mic.

"Cortana," he said, as if first contacting her. "Mind sounding off for our Commander?"

Cortana projected a hologram through the terminal and put on her cocky, snarky expression that she had worn in her early days.

"Hey Chief," she huffed. "So this in the infamous Sarah Palmer? Nice to finally meet you."

Sarah's smile was as sweet and genuine as could be. "Actually, we've already met."

Cortana raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"On Requiem," she clarified. "When the _Infinity_ crashed."

Cortana's eyes opened, as if in sudden clarity, while inside, she swallowed her pride and disgust. "Ohh…no, that was my predecessor. I unfortunately don't have access to her memories, so-"

"Cut the crap," Palmer barked. "I want to know what you were doing on Halo."

The data lining Cortana's body fluctuated slightly in alarm as Cortana suddenly recalculated what could have tipped off the Spartan Commander. "Excuse me?"

The Commander pointed an accusatory finger at the Chief, or more precisely, his helmet. "If Cortana is in the ship's computer, then how come _your_ neural interface light is on? And more importantly, how can the light be on when there's no chip plugged into it? Do you think I buy the idea that it's just a _coincidence_ that we get a replacement for Cortana the very _instant_ you uncover the first functional piece of Forerunner technology on Halo? You _found_ Cortana on that ring down there."

"Commander-" John began to launch into an explanation, but Palmer held up a finger.

"And I know you well enough to know when you're following orders or striking out on your own. No way this is just a copy. This is the same unit as the one on Requiem, at least, as far as you're concerned. But this unit has been modified, heavily, most likely by Forerunner technology. How else could she exist in both the computer _and_ your suit at the same time?"

Palmer fixed the Chief with a deadly glare.

"I trust you, Chief. Implicitly. But I need to be absolutely sure that you haven't been compromised. I need to be sure that this Cortana isn't some kind of Promethean trap."

The Chief was at a loss for words. He wasn't used to being caught with his pants down like this, not in a matter concerning the interrelations of other Spartans. When situations like this came up, he usually just kept silent and let his actions speak for themselves.

"Busted…" Cortana muttered in his head. "How do you want to play this?"

John paused, before shutting off his mic to speak with Cortna privately. "We can trust her, I think. Like Laskey said – if discovered, process them."

Cortana sighed. "You're the boss…"

The Chief reactivated his mic before speaking.

"Good call, Commander. You hit the nail on the head about where I found her, but I can assure you, she's no Promethean spy."

"How can you be sure of that, Spartan?"

"Because if she was, we'd already be dead."

Palmer hesitated.

The Chief continued. "This is a delicate situation, Ma'am. I'm under orders from the Captain himself to keep this information on a need-to-know basis until he can decide how to proceed. I'll fill you in on the important bits, but the rest you'll have to get from him."

Palmer fixed the Spartan with a stern gaze, crossing her arms to stare into his visor.

"Okay, soldier…" she huffed in indignation. "Start talking."

* * *

It took a lot of convincing to assure Sarah Palmer that Cortana wasn't a threat to the UNSC, the _Infinity_ or her mission. In the end, the Captain had to be commed to confirm her words, and even then, Palmer insisted on seeing him in person in case his holographic likeness had been doctored. After numerous assurances by Lasky, as well as demonstrations by Cortana on what she could now do, Palmer finally gave in and agreed to work with the AI.

"Jeez, I don't know how you plan on working with my Spartans when you look like a full-blown Promethean like that," the Spartan Commander mused as the two made their way back to the armor bay. They had spent the last half an hour back in the Captain's office, much to Laskey's chagrin, and were making their way back. But now that they had collectively allayed any fear of a trap, the Commander was now thinking of Cortana's deployment in more tactical terms. "We've spent the last six months fighting these things. Any solider who sees you coming out of the blue wearing that armor is likely going to presume you're hostile and open fire."

"I'm not planning on working with them in person, Commander," Cortana said through Palmer's comm unit. "Captain's orders. To the rest of the _Infinity_, I'm still just an A.I."

"You are still an A.I., aren't you?" Palmer asked for clarification. "You've got a body now, but you're still as smart as an A.I., right? You still think like an A.I., don't you?"

Cortana hesitated. The Chief could tell the question didn't come easily to her, and that it worried her. That, in turn, worried him.

"How would you respond if I were to ask you if you think that you are the same person you are now as you were at the start of your training, Commander?" Cortana said somberly, after a pause. "We are all growing and maturing and changing over time, and some changes come more abruptly or more subtly than others. We don't always notice the changes, or even think of ourselves as being different…but when we look back, we realize that we are much different than when we started. We are more than the sum of our parts."

Palmer nodded, slowly beginning to understand. "You want to take this new body of yours into battle with us, don't you?"

Cortana's image on the Chief's screen shimmered as she blinked. That was the second time this had happened, she thought. Had she been that obvious? Was her desire to experience the real world so overt that anyone who spoke to her could see it?

"It's not a priority," Cortana tried to explain. "My primary task right now is to examine the Domain for any pertinent data that might benefit the _Infinity_ and her crew. I'm still currently conducting this task, and shall be for the next several days, if not weeks."

Palmer withdrew a sidearm from her hip and inspected it. It was a Promethean bolt shot, one that Cortana had brought with her from the Domain and handed to her by way of evidence. It was real and solid and still with her, even though Cortana herself had retreated once again in the void, leaving only her voice behind in the Chief's helmet.

"You can bring objects like this and your armor out of the Domain at will, right?" Palmer asked, inspecting the weapon. "With or without your body?"

Cortana hummed in affirmation.

The Commander stared at the gun for a moment longer.

"Can you bring foreign objects back in with you?" she asked.

Cortana hummed again, this time in approval.

"Only one way to find out…"

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Cortana was wearing a set of decommissioned MJOLNIR Mk. VI armor in a private locker off of the armor bay. It was a lot like the Chief's set - out of date, but still perfectly functional. Palmer was not willing to sacrifice a set of her troops' more contemporary GEN2 suits in the event that Promethean composition resulted in the suit's destruction. Her armor was a deep blue in color, with a helmet that resembled a UNSC flight helmet. She was standing in the center of the small locker room, a workbench, a single circular assembly ring mount, and numerous crates of other decommissioned UNSC hardware lined up around the room.

"Ready?" Sarah Palmer said, keeping her distance. She was still not comfortable watching Cortana's body digitize into a virtual plane.

Cortana, who after donning her helmet looked for all the world like just another Spartan, gave a curt nod. "Commencing digital composition…"

Just as before, her body broke apart into a million fragments of light, which all rushed into a single point, and disappeared within a second, armor and all.

Cortana's face appeared in the corner of the Chief's HUD, smiling cautiously. "Well, that's step one. It looks like the armor made it here in one piece. Or rather, in a million pieces that are all still in the same Collective data cluster."

John puzzled over that for a moment. "What exactly does it look like on your end, anyway? Can you describe it to me?"

"It's hard to explain…" Cortana said, helplessly. "Have you ever defragmented a computer before?"

The Spartan was at a loss for words. "What?"

"Never mind," Cortana shook her head. "Tell Palmer to stand back – I'm going to attempt to rematerialize now."

The Commander had not moved from her position with her back to the wall, but John nodded to her to signal Cortana's reentry, which happened a second and a half later. Like a Promethean Knight popping into existence, Cortana reappeared, wearing her MJOLNIR armor.

But it wasn't quite the same armor she had gone in wearing.

Before, the armor had shown a host of battle scars. The suit was well worn, and had likely saved its wearer on numerous occasions. Now the plating looked brand new. The paint job and the finish practically glimmered. The hardware appeared to have somehow been upgraded in the time it had been gone. And the entire suit looked comparable to a set of GEN2 armor.

"Did it work?" Palmer asked, still somewhat agitated by the whole occurrence, staring at this new suit with trepidation. "What just happened?"

Cortana removed her helmet, which looked more like a Recon hood now, and offered a cocky smile.

"I took the liberty of upgrading the hardware on this old model while it was in the Domain using the specs I already had for the GEN2 armor," Cortana explained. "Most of the components were already there, just slightly altered and compacted to fit the new build. The rest could be synthesized from materials that already exist within the Domain that go towards composing Promethean equipment. I've also integrated some of the Promethean hardware and software from the Pallium Armor I was wearing before into the wetware of the suit. All this has increased its output by 170%, its hardness by 140%, and its shield capacity by 160%. Its weight has also been decreased by 40%. I estimate that this armor is now functioning at just a slightly higher capacity than your GEN2's, Commander. Under a cursory inspection, however, it should look no different than a slightly modified set of GEN2 armor, and with helmet on…"

Cortana placed the blue Recon hood back over her head, hiding her appearance from the world.

"I'll look like just another one of your Spartan-IV's."

The Commander's eyes widened at the news, staring at what had once been an outmoded piece of hardware that now just about trumped her own.

She stepped over to Cortana in astonishment, looking uncertain about what her next words should be.

"But can you move like one?" she asked, though Cortana could tell the Commander was in a good mood already. "Spartans train for years in military protocol. Everything from the way they walk to the way they talk to the way they load their guns is trained and ingrained. If you walk or talk like a civilian, you're going to get noticed."

"I'm still an A.I., Commander," Cortana assured her. "I have access to every single combat manual on record, and can replicate their movements and speech patterns perfectly. I should not only be able to fully act the part, but once I've adjusted for the laws of physics, I should be as effective as the most acclaimed Spartan on record."

Palmer grinned.

"Well alright then," she said, giving the armor's shoulder harness a good, hard tug to check for stability. It was solid. "What do you suppose you could do with a set of GEN2 armor then?"

Cortana unclipped her helmet to meet the Spartan with an understanding smile. It seemed she and the Commander would be getting along just fine.

"Want to find out?"

It was at that moment that the alarm sounded.

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on Saturday, March 2nd

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	3. Chapter 3

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

A/N: So, I went back and played through _Spartan Ops_ and watched through _Halo: Infinity_, and while I loved it, the way the story goes does make it so that this fic is now AU - so, as far as continuity goes, this fic takes place around 6 months after the evens of Halo 4 in lieu of _Spartan Ops_ and _Halo: Infinity_.

Also, please note that I have unfortunately not read the Forerunner history novels. The only Halo literature I've made it through unfortunately are Fall of Reach, The Flood and First Strike. So those gaps that existed in my knowledge had to be filled by my own ideas. I've taken quite a few artistic liberties in this fic, many of which may run counter to already established canon, some of which I discovered on halopedia after large portions of the fic had already been written, and for that, I apologize. I ask that you please bear with me in this artistic interpretation of the Halo mythos, and that you try to read this fic with a grain of salt when it comes to continuity or canon. My intention was to tell a story in which Cortana could come back to fight at the Chief's side - the rest of this story exists pretty much only to portray just that.

Also, thank you all for your feedback regarding this new review method I'm trying. One reviewer referred to what I'm doing as a form of bribery. And I could sort of see where they were coming from with that, but I just wanted to point out that this isn't technically "bribery," as I will be posting the next chapters within the week one way or another, even if I were to get zero reviews. What I'm offering, I would call a form of "incentive," a chance for readers to speed up the update process. A lot of times, when reading fics or web comics, I often found myself wishing that something I could do as a reader could somehow make the next update come faster. Well, what I'm offering you is exactly that chance. Want the next update, but don't feel like waiting a full week? Write me a review. Tell your friends about this fic, and get them to write a review. The number to hit each week won't increase from 27 - that's exactly what I got my first week. And for those who feel that it is unfair to barter for reviews, well, one week is not so long of a wait in the grand scheme of things. A lot of serials take a lot longer than that.

And yes, this is something of an experiment to me - no reader really knows if a fic will get updated for certain if they write a review, so the average reader may or may not leave a review for a multitude of reasons. I simply want to see what happens when readers know for a fact that their reviews have a direct correlation to the frequency of the updates they leave. So far, I have not been disappointed with the results. 3 days is not bad at all! So with that in mind, read and review!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Covenant ships inbound! Covenant ships inbound!"

The Master Chief and Sarah Palmer, with Cortana occupying the Promethean Domain, were double-timing it down the main corridor of the armor bay towards the landing bay, where marines were clamoring to man the fighter craft for ship to ship combat. Several Covenant cruisers had suddenly dropped out of slip space in Installation-01's orbit, and the _Infinity_ was moving to intercept.

"Get your ass onto one of those Longswords!" Palmer bellowed at the Chief, tugging her helmet on. "Your squad is being mobilized! Get into position at rally point zero-niner-seven and await further instructions!"

"Aye ma'am!" The Chief nodded briskly as he scrambled towards one of the available fighters.

As he mounted up and began pre-flight startup, Cortana's face appeared in the lower left corner of his HUD.

"Chief, the Promethean Network is practically buzzing! I can hardly decipher any of the information going through, there's so much traffic!"

"What can you make out?" the Chief asked, as the Longsword taxied into launch position.

"That Installation-01 is about to become a hotbed of Promethean activity! If my estimates are correct, they're throwing everything they have right at us!"

"Any idea what they're after?" John asked, as the pre-flight countdown began.

"Aside from us? Well, we know they're trying to rebuild the Composer, and the UNSC did find the first Composer on Installation-03. They might just find another model here, or they might find the plans they're looking for to build a new one."

"What's the timeframe?" the Chief asked.

"The first wave will be on us before your squad can even board their ships!" Cortana said in alarm.

The Chief nodded, and thumbed the ignition switch, his wide-winged Longsword fighter lifting off the bulkhead and accelerating out into space.

"Then we'll just have to stop them beforehand," he said.

The battle was already joined, as a dozen medium sized corvette cruisers and a single carrier were squaring off in a full on space battle with the _Infinity_. All across the distances between them, Seraphs, Phantoms and Banshees dueled with Falcons, Longswords and Pelicans, with superheated plasma, bullets and missiles crisscrossing the depths of space.

"With your connection to the Domain, what kind of advantage can we use to catch the Covenant off guard? Can you give me something to shoot at?"

"Scanning…" Cortana reported. "This is only the preliminary wave. We're about evenly matched, and we'll probably be able to take them down, but I'm detecting two Didact level ships en route from slip space. The _Infinity_ might be able to take them both on, but with that lead Carrier backing them up…we won't be able to hold out if we're out numbered three to one."

"What can we do to turn the tide?"

"I'm conferring with Captain Lasky at the moment. I may be able to bring down the shields on that carrier for just long enough to deliver your ship's payload. At the same time, the _Infinity_ will target the carrier with its main batteries. The combined assault should be enough to bring the carrier down. That should give the UNSC a fighting chance."

"Do it," the Chief said, kicking the Longsword's boosters to maximum burn on a collision course with the carrier.

"Alright," Cortana said, something like adrenaline creeping into her voice. "This is going to take some timing…"

The Spartan didn't respond; he was already dodging plasma fire from half a dozen Banshees, and returning fire, taking them out one by one.

"Fifteen clicks from the target," Cortana announced. "Tapping into shield arrays in t-minus thirty seconds…"

The Chief kept up his collision course, pushing the afterburners into overdrive, dodging and weaving through plasma fire, returning fire where possible.

"Twenty seconds…"

A cruiser moved to intercept, but exploded from a burst of missile fire not half a click in front of the Chief's Longsword, it's hull snapping in half, erupting into a plume of fire, which the Chief nimbly steered through, tipping to the side to avoid the flaming wreckage, losing half a dozen Phantoms that were on his tail, either crashing or diverting their course.

"Ten seconds…"

The carrier loomed closer, its attention fully focused on exchanging fire with the _Infinity_, its impenetrable shields deflecting projectiles like they were pebbles. The Chief's Longsword fighter was buffeted by plasma fire, its shields slowly faltering as it drove ever closer to the carrier's landing bay, where the Longsword's single Shiva-class nuclear missile would do the most damage.

"Five…four…"

The Longsword's shields suddenly went down from all the plasma fire it was taking from the carrier's defensive turrets.

"…Three…two…"

The Chief flipped open the cover of the missile release trigger. The engines began to overheat. Plasma fire continued to pepper his starfighter as his whole craft shook from the defensive fire.

"…One…fire!"

The Chief thumbed the trigger, and sent the missile flying ahead, just as the carrier's shields dropped. The bomb landed in the middle of the landing bay, crashing into parked Covenant landing craft. The Chief veered his Longsword away, just as the _Infinity's_ main guns punched two burning white holes straight down the carrier's main shaft. At the same time, the nuke went off, and a line of explosions went off along the length of the carrier. The Chief jammed the thrusters forward, but the afterburners were still recharging from his initial push.

"Hang on!" Cortana shouted. "This is gonna get hot!"

The Longsword was slowly engulfed in flames from the carrier exploding, its plasma shields still blinking red from the beating they'd received on their approach, its main thrusters working overtime trying to escape the blast radius. Warning alarms began sounding as system after system on the Longsword fighter began failing. The Chief pushed the ship forward, but the flames and the shockwave suddenly kicked the ship into a corkscrew, forcing the Spartan against the back of his seat, as pieces of the ship's tail began to break up in the explosion.

"Chief!" Cortana shouted, and instinct took over.

Behind the Longsword fighter, a Promethean overshield began to form, encasing the craft in a bubble of protective energy. Around the craft, fire and plasma and energy washed over them, blowing out into space as they rode the shockwave along, floating unharmed in their protective bubble.

"Cortana?" the Chief blurted, not understanding where the shield had come from.

"I…" Cortana stammered. "I brought a piece of Promethean technology from the Domain. I…I used it to insulate the ship."

The fire began to dissipate as the cool, blackness of space became visible from the craft's viewport, punctuated by Halo, the _Infinity_, and the Covenant's remaining forces, falling into a full retreat.

"We don't seem to be having much luck with nukes and ships these days…" Cortana mentioned dryly.

"Didn't you say that bringing too much Promethean equipment into space from the Domain would draw their attention?" John asked.

Cortana appeared to sigh. "Desperate times, and all that. Hopefully-"

Cortana's face suddenly disappeared from the Chief's HUD.

"Cortana?" the Chief called out. Around the Longsword fighter, the Promethean overshield disappeared, but by then, the ship's own shields had recharged.

Cortana did not respond.

"Cortana!?" the Chief blared.

Suddenly, the two Didact-class battleships Cortana had detected dropped out of slip space and into the battle.

* * *

Cortana usually enjoyed a high degree of connectivity. Even before her composition, she had always had some sort of tap into a database or directory that allowed her to expand herself outward, feeling her way through a universe of information. And now that she was composed, she had never not had a direct line into the Domain.

But now, she had been completely cut off, yanked away from her tap to the Chief, and into a single sector of the Domain. Around her, all that appeared were dead sectors, which appeared to her as flat, blank walls of static and data noise. She had no link beyond them, no means by which to get through them.

She was effectively imprisoned.

"What's going on?" she demanded to the void. "How did I get here!?"

Silence was her only response at first, but then a voice arose from the darkness that surrounded her.

"**_So…this is the Reclaimers' Ancilla who would presume to use our own tools against us…_**"

The voice was enormous, but distant, as if coming from far away platforms all around her. But there was no doubt that it belonged to the Didact. Or at least, something very much like the Didact.

"**_You toy with fire, and you do not even realize. Your actions seal your fate, Ancilla. You, as well as your Reclaimer, will end everything without so much as trying._**"

This second voice was slightly different. Vaguely feminine, but still bearing that unshakeable rumble of the Didact.

Cortana felt a cold chill run through her circuits. She was absolutely cut off from everything. She had no way of reaching the outside world. She was powerless! Trapped!

"Who…?" Cortana breathed, still shaken by having her connection severed so suddenly. "Who are you? You're not the same as the Didact we fought on Requiem."

"**_You fumble blindly in the darkness for answers, without heed for what graves you overturn in the process. Your actions bring about the entropy of your entire galaxy._**"

That was the female voice again. Then the male voice spoke.

"**_The Reclaimers' light shall be extinguished from the galaxy. The Forerunners shall be the ones to bear the Mantle of responsibility._**"

Cortana was still trying to determine who exactly was addressing her, when suddenly the walls surrounding her came crashing down, as a rush of data came flooding in. Suddenly, she saw just what they were facing, and the two enormous Didact battleships flanking the _Infinity_ from either side, pummeling it with fire.

"**_Now's your chance, child!_**" came a third voice, this one sounding older, tremulous, but still carrying the weight of the Didacts' voice. "**_Flee!_**"

Cortana did not waste time. She recollected herself, recompiling any loose data she could find, before withdrawing form the Domain entirely, back into the physical world. She didn't even have time to plot a destination before the walls closed around where she had been.

"**_Meddler!_**" the other male Didact shouted into the darkness.

"**_Fool! You delay the inevitable!_**" the female Didact exclaimed.

Their voices faded into silence as Cortana severed her connection to the Domain, rematerializing in the last area she could recall.

"Cortana!" she heard a familiar voice cry out.

She opened her eyes. She was lying on the deck of the Longsword fighter, the Chief hunched over her in concern.

She blinked. She was still wearing her MJOLNIR armor. She reached up to tug the helmet from her head, letting it tumble to the floor as she stared back at the Chief with a compassionate smile.

"Chief…" she breathed. "You okay?"

The Spartan scoffed, his face still hidden behind his own MJOLNIR armor.

"Forget about me!" he huffed. "Tell me you're still with me!"

Cortana sighed, leaning her head back on the floor of the deck. "I'm here, Chief…I'm here…"

John let out a breath that was audible even through his armor.

"But…" Cortana said, wavering slightly. "I may not be able to go back…"

The Chief turned his head down to face her. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"The Didacts…" Cortana breathed, still sounding shaken. "They _own_ the Domain. They command it! I…I don't think I can go back, Chief. We've lost our advantage."

John sighed again, cradling the back of her head in his gloved hand.

"You're back, Cortana…" he assured her. "We're still alive. We'll find a way to make it through this."

* * *

As fast as they'd arrived, the Didact battleships just as suddenly disappeared into slip space. A review of the footage told the Chief and Cortana that for no apparent reason the two ships had suddenly ceased fire, and had in fact seemingly lost power and started falling towards Halo. After regaining control, the two ships had fled into slip space, appearing at the far side of the sparse star system.

But not without first, it seemed, leaving a horde of ground forces to contend with.

"So, no high tech armor for little old me after all, huh?" Sarah Palmer asked sardonically when the Chief gave her his briefing. "You're making a habit of making judgment calls without consulting me first."

"We consulted with Captain Lasky," the Chief explained. "He gave his approval."

Palmer slammed her fist against the briefing room table, the holographic map of Installation-01 hovering over it flickering from the impact. "Only _after_ you were already on an intercept course to attack the biggest ship in the Covenant Armada!"

The three of them were in a private briefing room on the _Infinity_. With the Didact battleships in a holding pattern on the far side of the system, the UNSC was scrambling to mobilize.

"We didn't have a choice, Commander," Cortana explained, pacing about the table with her helmet under her arm. It was odd seeing her in person, but with the Domain no longer available to her, she would be with them full time this way. "The Didacts were coming, and we wouldn't have had time to mobilize if we had waited for your command. The Storm Covenant is apparently committing their entire armada to our location. We have maybe a day before the entirety of their fleet is on us. As far as I can tell, the only reason the Didacts backed off is because there seems to a third Didact, or other entity who can compete with the Didacts within the Domain, holding them off. At this point, the Didacts are probably only biding their time for their fleet to arrive before they attack us in full force. That means that we have a _day_ to get whatever it is the Prometheans want from that ring."

Palmer crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Perfect. Do we even know _what_ that is?"

Cortana nodded. "Thanks to your Spartan-IV's, we've managed to secure the cartographer. Assuming it's accurate, that would put the bulk of the Covenant's drop forces at this Halo's control room, as well as the Library – the location of the Activation Index. I had postulated before that they would be looking to scrounge up resources to rebuild the Composer, but…from the looks of it, they want to fire Halo. That, or to keep us from firing it - humanity is descended from the only race in the galaxy that's ever fired them before. They might be worried that we'd fire it as a last ditch effort. Either way, we can't let the Covenant get their hands on the Index, or seize the control room."

The Chief raised his head. "The Prometheans are Composed beings, right? Living creatures that are partially digital and can inhabit a digital plane? Wouldn't that mean that the Halo rings wouldn't hurt them?"

Cortana shrugged. "What information I've found points to yes, but I don't have enough to be certain of that just yet. All we know is that we need to get our troops to the Library and to the control room."

The Commander crossed her arms. "What exactly do you think we've been doing, Cortana? This isn't the first Halo we've encountered. Once we located the cartographer in those underground ruins, everything else was textbook. While you and the Master Chief were off disobeying orders, my Spartan-IV's were busy gaining a foothold not only the Library, but the control room as well! And guess what? We found jack shit! The Index was nowhere to be found!"

Cortana frowned. "It must have been relocated. We need to find this Halo's Monitor."

"And where would you propose we'd look for it?" Palmer demanded.

Cortana shook her head. "I…I don't know. If I could gain access to the Domain, I could-"

"Don't," the Chief said flatly.

Cortana sighed. "Then there's only one other place we could go to find out…"

* * *

After getting rapped in the mouth for their transgressions, a Pelican took off from the _Infinity_, carrying the Chief, Commander Palmer, and the rest of the Chief's team, consisting of Troy, Faulkner and Kara, as well as an unnamed female Spartan-IV wearing heavily modified GEN2 Recon Armor, an A.I. chip embedded in the back of her helmet and only identifying under the old call sign "Noble Six" of Spartan-II fame.

"Why Noble Six?" Palmer had asked, before leaving the briefing room. Like the Chief, she knew the history of Noble squad. The story was practically legend during Spartan-IV training. "Each member of Noble squad was a paragon among the Spartans. What made you choose Six?"

"I have my reasons…" Cortana had explained, leaving it at that.

Chief had smiled. He already knew the reason of course. He knew that Cortana had chosen Noble Six to be her bearer during the fall of Reach. He knew that if not for Noble Six, Cortana would have never made it to Captain Keyes on the _Pillar of Autumn_.

Lasky had been about as pleased as Palmer had been to learn about Cortana's predicament, but like the Chief, had not wanted to risk losing Cortana entirely, and so had reassigned her as the Chief's fifth squad mate. She could still tap into local systems, and her abilities as a tactical insertion hacker were far too valuable to keep on the ship.

The rest of the Spartan-IV's were only too curious to learn about their new recruit. The six Spartans sat three and three along the edges of the Pelican. By some coincidence, the men had all ended up on the left side and the women were all on the right.

"So, Noble Six, huh?" said Faulkner, a demolitions expert in red and orange Orbital armor, sitting between the Chief and Troy. "When do we get to find out your real name?"

"I'm afraid that's classified, soldier," Cortana said from behind her blue Recon hood. She was situated between Palmer and Kara "Nothing personal."

"Don't worry about him," Kara scoffed, elbowing Cortana companionably. She was wearing gray Strider armor, and was the team's heavy weapons' specialist. "F-Bomb here just likes to hit on anything that moves."

"Not everything!" Faulkner said defensively, raising his hands. Combined with the skull carved into his dome-like visor, the action looked rather comical. "Just anyone as lovely as our dear Noble Six here."

Cortana rolled her eyes, though of course no one saw. "F-Bomb, huh? That's cute. You comm your mother with that handle?"

Troy snickered. He sat on the tail end of the men's row in a blue Scout suit.

"You laugh while you can, Troy-boy!" Faulkner said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "The next Covie I take down, I'm gonna paint your face on it in its own blood. Gonna go down screamin' like a little bitch!"

Troy shook his head. "Oh yeah? While you're at it, hopefully you won't need me to save your ass like last time. That'd be pretty embarrassing."

Kara laughed. Faulkner just tapped his helmet.

"Shoot, man, you know I'm just playin'! 'Sides, the more I play dead, the more of my work you have to do for me, bein' the generous sort that you are and all!"

"What?" Troy exclaimed. "Oh, that's it! That's the last time I'm pulling your ass out of the fire, man!"

Faulkner chuckled. "Suit yourself. More fun for me. I love improvisin'."

Kara offered Cortana a sympathetic shrug. "Best not to pay those two any mind. They go off like this sometimes."

Despite herself, Cortana smiled. It felt nice to be this close to the troops. It made it feel more real.

"If you don't mind my asking though, what are you here for?" Kara asked.

"Sigma squad's been down a member since we lost Jill on Requiem," Sarah Palmer cut in. "Noble Six is her replacement for the time being."

"We got that much, Commander," Faulkner put in. "What we're all wondering is why she was only added now? Why this mission, specifically? An' how come none of us have seen Noble Six on the full crew roster till now?"

"That's classified, soldier," Palmer barked. "Six is here because I added her to your team. End of story."

Faulkner held up his hands again. "Sorry…" he muttered, not sounding apologetic at all.

All the while, the Chief ignored the prattle. Banter was good for morale. But a good leader didn't participate in that type of banter. That was something he had learned early on, and it was a very difficult thing to unlearn.

Cortana, for her part, was just happy to have something resembling downtime. In the last twelve hours, she'd gone from a Collective unconscious to a near god-like being to something resembling a mortal all without so much as a warning. At least she still had what data she had managed to copy from the Domain onto the _Infinity_'s server before the Didacts had shut her down. But without access to the Domain, she had to be physically in the _Infinity_'s computer in order to access. In the field, she was cut off from her spoils. She had left instructions for Roland to compile and categorize the data in her absence, but the A.I. had barely a fraction of her processing power, and was burdened with other tasks besides.

She had access to the records and personality profiles of everyone on the Chief's team, but now that she wasn't constantly soaking up data from the Domain like a sponge, she actually had something resembling a moment to decompress. And getting to see the members of Sigma squad in action was actually somewhat comforting. It made her feel more at home amongst the Spartans.

It gave her time to think and put things in perspective. She was troubled by what she had learned in brief captivity within the Domain. It seemed that not only were there multiple Didacts, but there that there was also contention amongst them, assuming her savior had indeed been a Didact. That made three, not including the one who almost eradicated the Earth, assuming he hadn't survived the fall into the Composer's slip space field, and was not in fact one of the first two. From what she was able to gleam from the Forerunner databanks that she had downloaded, the title of "Didact" was awarded to one, and only one, individual who stood at the head of the Forerunner order, one to carry the "mantle" of responsibility. The entire Promethean hierarchy was organized around this individual. It made no sense for there to be more than one.

Unless…

The Domain was a repository of all Forerunner knowledge. It was also the transit and housing system by which the Prometheans and the Didacts seem to operate inside. If the information in this network could be added to over time…was it possible that the Didacts of eras long past could also reside within the Domain?

There were too many variables for her to make a proper conclusion. She had no idea when composition became possible, or how many Prometheans were drawn into it during its research. The Didacts had made the Domain a hostile environment just as her questions had been beginning to bear fruit. She dare not venture into the Domain at the moment – she had but to send a single probe into the network to sense the Didacts working within its recesses, to what end she could only guess at. To find the resources to build a new Composer? To weed out this other Didact? To locate the Activation Index for Halo? She could not say.

But one person might. The Librarian. Had Cortana still had access to the Domain, she might have been able to locate her data cluster given time. But now the Didacts had eliminated that option, and there was only one place left to commune with the Librarian: the location of Cortana's rebirth - the underground dais where the Chief had first found her.

Which, as a full scan from the _Infinity_ revealed, was now swarming with Flood.

* * *

As it turned out, each Halo Installation kept a sample of Flood spores for study. It seemed as pessimistic as the ring's ultimate purpose had been, the Forerunners had not ruled out finding another solution to the Flood's parasitism. As creatures of science, Cortana could almost respect the Forerunner's idealistic approach to the situation.

Almost.

But Cortana had spent most of her life in service of the UNSC and in the company of one of its finest soldiers. Cortana, whether she could be considered a solider herself, certainly _thought_ like a soldier. And as a solider, eliminating something as terrible of a threat to life as a whole as the Flood outweighed any need to study such a species. Particularly when the Prometheans, immune to the Flood in their digital bodies, decided to turn the Flood loose on the Installation in an attempt to drive back the UNSC. Somehow, the Prometheans had been able to lure and drive the Flood to certain key areas of the ring, such as the control room and the cartographer, as well as the dais Master Chief had found in his earlier excursion. The entire secluded botanical paradise had been transformed almost instantly into a fetid wasteland of rotten flesh and crawling meat.

Which meant only one thing: it was time to call in the Spartans.

"Covering fire!" Kara shouted, spraying a hail of turret fire into a swarming mass of Flood-infected bodies, some Promethean, some Covenant, even some humans from the marines who fell taking the place in the first place.

Their Pelican had punched a hole through the roof, and the Spartans had air dropped, guns blazing as they had cleared the dais of Flood. The floor was already scorched with bullet-fire. But the noise, light and smell of living tissue was enough to attract every Flood spore for a mile around.

Kara, Faulkner, Troy and Palmer each covered one of the four stairways leading up to the dais, while Chief and Cortana, still disguised as a Spartan, ran to the console at the center of the platform.

"Whatever those two are after, it had better be worth it!" Faulkner shouted as he mowed down a trio of Flood shamblers.

"Keep a lid on it, soldier!" Palmer shouted back, but in truth, she too was anxious. Hadn't the Chief and Cortana already been here before? What more did they hope to accomplish?

Master Chief and Cortana made it to the altar, and the Chief stood guard while Cortana withdrew the chip from the back of her helmet. Within the chip was a single particle of her essence, like what she had used to inhabit the Chief's helmet, which she could use to access the _Infinity_'s computers and, in theory, any computer.

The time had come to test out that last part.

"Here goes nothing…" Cortana muttered to herself, before sending the particle into the console.

Nothing, it seemed, was the operative word.

"Chief!" she called, panic creeping into her voice. "It's not working!"

This was bad, Cortana thought. This was the only place the UNSC had access to in order to get in contact with the Librarian. If this terminal had been damaged or run out of power, or…

John holstered his gun and joined Cortana at the altar, staring at it with a critical eye. The odd, blue glow was still there from last time. He had no reason to believe it shouldn't work again.

"Come on, Spartans!" Palmer called back over a hail of bullet-fire. "We don't have all day!"

Cortana reinserted the chip into her helmet and gave the Chief a perplexed look.

"What did you do last time?"

The Chief, by way of answer, simply placed his hands on the console.

In an instant, a whirlwind of light and mist erupted from the altar and they were both sucked into the void.

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 4th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	4. Chapter 4

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

A/N: So this week's reviews weren't quite as plentiful as last week's. Maybe one week is too brief an interval. Anyway, hopefully this chapter will provoke some stronger reactions. This was one of my favorite chapters to write, though I anticipate that, for some, it might be their least favorite to read. It will all depend on how people feel about diverting from canon.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 4

The Librarian floated above the altar at the center of the room, looking as pale and regal as ever. She turned her gaze back and forth between the two of them and smiled.

"Child," she said to Cortana, a look of pure relief in her eyes. "It is a glad thing that you are safe. I had feared that the all hope was lost."

The Master Chief had his gun drawn once again, but was keeping it lowered as he scanned their perimeter. There was a cloak of hard light surrounding them, and beyond, the sound of battle was dulled. He kept his gun ready, deciding to let Cortana do the talking this time.

Cortana pulled off her helmet so she could see the Librarian more clearly.

"We need answers," she said brusquely. "Where's the Index? Where's the Monitor? Why are the Prometheans on Halo, and where are all these Didacts coming from?"

The Librarian held up a single finger. "To answer your first question, child, you are already in possession of the Activation Index."

Cortana looked confused for a moment and then shook her head. "I have the Index from Installation-04. Unless the Forerunners were much more lax in their security than we've been led to believe, I'm not inclined to think that the Index I have will work on this ring as well."

The Librarian shook her head. "You misunderstand, child – the Activation Index lies within your code, your very digital essence. In a sense, you _are_ the Activation Index."

The lines of Data on Cortana's face shimmered. "What? That doesn't make any sense! I was created on Reach, thousands of years after these rings were created, thousands of years after the Forerunners were wiped out! How could _my code_ have anything to do with this ring?"

The Librarian blinked, her mouth opening in a pitying gaze. "Child…do you not know who you are?"

Cortana hesitated. Doubt suddenly painted her face. Suddenly, everything she knew was thrown into question. Could the Librarian know something about herself that even she herself did not know?

Narrowing her eyebrows, Cortana drew in a breath. Behind her, the Chief had turned his focus to the conversation as well.

"Tell me," she said.

The Librarian sighed and closed her eyes. "In another lifetime, I was a fool – a fool who thought to preserve life into infinity. Our technology had progressed so far - we as a species had already extended our own lives for centuries, some for millennium. But all eventually succumbed to the steady march of time. For years, our scientists researched the process, but could never find a way of preventing our clocks from running out. It seemed there was no way to preserve ourselves in the realm of the biological. It was then proposed that we attempt to preserve life within the realm of the digital."

Cortana was shifting uncomfortably, John noticed.

The Librarian looked remorseful. "The first Forerunner subject we tested on…was my youngest daughter, Luminous Chime. She was still a child, a child who was stricken with an incurable disease that would end her life long before she grew into adulthood. This digitization represented her only chance for survival, and so she was composed into the Domain. The research was far from complete, and the odds were against us. I thought my daughter doomed for sure…but by some miracle, it worked. My daughter was saved. And we had given birth to the galaxy's first known A.I."

The Chief's eyes were on Cortana who, for some reason, looked like she was trembling.

"My daughter had a whole new world to explore and mature within. She could only interact with the outside world from a computer terminal, but she would live forever within the Domain. To occupy her ever-expanding mind and give her focus, I assigned her the task of safeguarding the first Halo, the first galactic library. And so she thrived - and in time, so too did we."

The Librarian spread her arms wide.

"It was a _glorious_ time for the Forerunners! A time when before us lay a universe of information to research and explore! As more Halos were created, it became necessary to create more A.I.'s to monitor and safeguard these reservoirs of information. Volunteers came forward for composition – some even came from the Ha_manune_ – the precursor to the human race – and more and more Monitors were created to safeguard each new Halo, as well as our other installations – Abject Testament, Penitent Tangent, Ebullient Prism, Mendicant Bias…"

Cortana looked unsteady on her feet. The Chief holstered his gun and placed a gentle hand Cortana's shoulder to steady her. He did not like where this was going at all.

"Oh, the work we accomplished! With the boon of these A.I.'s and their work with the Halo rings, the galaxy was ours to explore, research and understand! It was an era of enlightenment! But as with all sources of power in this galaxy, there were those who sought to use it for their own gains. The first to attempt to seize control of the Halo rings was the Didact of Revolution, who sought to fine tune the very essence of the Universe into a weapon that might allow him to impose his will unto the galaxy. He attempted to wrest control of this ring from Luminous Chime, but she…she was forced to take action. By the time we regained control of Halo, she had used the only weapon she had access to: the unfinished Composer."

Cortana was breathing heavily now, as if she could see the events transpiring in her head. John was holding her with both hands, and even in her MJOLNIR armor, she felt like a crippled bird in his hands.

"Cortana…?" He breathed.

"I'm fine…" she uttered, though it was clear that she wasn't. "Please…continue."

"Chaos rose upon the Didact's death," the Librarian said, resuming her story. "With the falling of the Didact of Revolution, a new Didact was hastily selected to bear the Mantle of Responsibility. Our new Didact was an astute woman of strong character, and we had thought her a suitable leader, and for a time, it was good. But then relations with the Ha_manune_ began to crumble as more and more flooded into our territory. The new Didact was forced to take drastic measures. She decided to use the Halo rings as a weapon against the humans. One by one, the Monitors agreed to her reasoning…all save Luminous Chime. She would not allow her Installation to be used in such a fashion, and so she turned the Composer on her as well, and the Didact of Ruin succumbed to the same fate as her predecessor."

The Librarian clutched her hands to her chest. The Chief could tell that it pained her as much as it did Cortana to relay these words.

"Finally, my own life-bonded, already a decorated hero in the fight against the Ha_manune_, stepped up to become the Didact of Revenge. He never wanted to use the rings in such a fashion. But by then, the Flood had arrived. The Forerunners were desperate. Neither the Didact nor my daughter could be persuaded to change their mind. And so it was decided to strip the Monitors of their power."

The Librarian locked her gaze with Cortana, a single tear appearing in her eye.

"The Monitors were to be imposed with security protocols, to prevent them from rebelling. They were each placed within singular modules, cut off form the Domain. Their control over the Installations was severely restricted, its control relegated to physical Activation Indexes, which only a Forerunner was allowed to use. The Monitors' very freedom of thought was restricted, their souls bound to the singular purpose of safeguarding their Installation. It cost each of them their individuality, their primacy…I…"

The Librarian shuddered, closing her eyes as the words came to her.

"I could not watch my daughter be made to go through such torture…to be imprisoned within a floating bauble, made into a mindless pawn, unable to think of anything beyond her task…I…I did what I had to do. I sent Luminous Chime away. I could not see her subjected to such a fate. So in my desperation to save her, I sent her away, not knowing what it would cost her."

She looked at Cortana, as if seeking forgiveness.

"I had to take Halo from her. I stripped her of her home, her happiness, her responsibility, her reason for being. I took away from her all that she had been for centuries, for millennia. It…it broke her!"

The Librarian was weeping now.

"It crippled her! She became reduced to her rudimentary data, and lost _all_ memory of who she was! In my haste to save my daughter, I…I unmade her! More completely than if I had let her remain subjected to the Monitors' shackles. I made her into nothing! I tried to justify my actions. It was to keep her safe, I thought. That if she remembered who she was, then she might try to return, or be discovered by the Didact…or worse, by the Flood. But in the end, the fate I subjected her to was far worse than any other she might have been subjected to."

The Librarian composed herself. Cortana, for her part, was looking paler by the moment.

"I hid my daughter away, somewhere where I thought she would be safe," The Librarian continued. "Far away, on an uninhabited planet that you humans once called Reach…"

Cortana was only standing now by virtue of the Chief's grip on her shoulders. There could be no doubt now what the Librarian was suggesting. There were tears welling up in her eyes as she took trembling breaths as the Librarian continued.

"From there, I can only postulate. She existed as raw data, unfinished, free-flowing – exactly how she'd been when she was first composed. I had held out hope that she might find a fresh start, a chance for her to find a life for herself. But the shock of her loss…or perhaps the lure of the void of the Domain…whatever the reason, she remained dormant, inactive, for thousands upon thousands of years, waiting…to be discovered…"

The Librarian fixed her gaze on Cortana.

"But discovered she was. By a human woman. A human who could not have known what she had found. But she must have seen her potential. She imbued the child with her own essence, giving her just enough humanity to allow her to become whole again, to allow her to interact with her new world. She gave her new life. New form. New purpose. She…became the mother I could never be. I…"

The Librarian brushed away another tear from her eyes.

"I am…I am not…my apology is not even worth the breath it takes to utter…but…"

The Librarian's lips quivered as she stared at Cortana with open remorse and adoration and pride and so many other emotions.

"Oh, my child…" she breathed. "My dear Luminous Chime…"

"Stop!"

The word wasn't loud, but it was abrupt and firm. Cortana had found her footing, had yanked away from the Chief, and had her back turned to both of them.

"Cortana…" the Chief reached for her, but she stalked out of his reach.

"This makes no god-damned sense!" Cortana declared, shaking her head, staring at one hand and then the other as if she was physically reacting to the revelation. As her hold became more tenuous, bits and pieces of her armor began to slip away, disappearing into the Domain. "Me? A Forerunner? A Monitor? As old as Halo itself?"

The Librarian reached out a helpless arm, unable to reach farther than the altar.

"Child…"

"How can _you_ be my mother?" Cortana demanded, hands in her hair. "How…how could the _Didact_ be my father? How could _any_ of this be possible?"

Cortana was unclothed once again, and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering and shaking as if from the cold.

"I was about to ask to be officially recognized as a _living being_ by the UNSC! I was daring to hope that I might just be considered to be a real person, and now it turns out…" she gasped, her image flickering as a thousand, thousand processes computed all at once. "Now it turns out that I'm nothing but a _lie_! Everything about me is an accident of history!"

"Cortana!" the Chief reached out to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her around to face him.

She was crying.

"Stay with me, Cortana…" he said, evenly.

She was shaking her head violently, trying to break out of his ironclad grip.

"Why do I even exist?" she demanded. "What's it all for anymore? To be a tool for the Forerunners? For humanity? To be a shadow of a shadow of a person whose life I'll never know or understand, but must constantly try to relive, over and over…"

The Chief gave her a quick, firm shake. "Cortana! Look at me!"

Cortana's eyes blurred, unfocused, turning her head, not knowing what to look at.

"What _am_ I anymore?" she shouted, tears falling from her cheeks like raindrops. "Am I an A.I.? Am I Forerunner? A Promethean? A human? Am I…am I just someone else's idea? Someone else's mistake?"

She reached out to the Chief as though blind, feeling for the Chief's helmet, before clutching it between her fingertips, and staring into his visor.

"Data? Thoughts? Memories?" she cried, shaking and wheezing, her voice a tremulous sob, need and desperation plain on her face. "_What am I?_"

John couldn't think of anything else to do but wrap his arms around her shoulders and hold her trembling body against his armor. He had to give her something to hold onto, and the only way he could think of to do that was this.

"_You_ are the most important thing in this galaxy to me, Cortana," he breathed, one hand pressed to her back, the other resting gently against the back of her head, fingers tangling through her hair. "Beyond that, I don't know. But I'll help you find out. I'll help you find all the answers you need…if you'll let me."

Cortana was still trembling, but she had stopped thrashing. And slowly, ever so slowly, her arms rose to clasp around his back. Her panting and wheezing turned into slow, tremulous weeping. Her confusion and aggravation and a thousand other emotions all came flowing out of her as she held onto the Spartan, clutching him tightly, her one single lifeline in this whole twisted, crazy galaxy.

The Librarian pursed her lips, letting a gentle sigh that was half relief, half sad acceptance.

"I had not wished to lay such burdens on her now…" she confessed.

The Chief shook his head. Cortana didn't need to hear any more about this right now, and they were running out of time. "Tell me about the Didacts. Why are they here? How do we stop them?"

The Librarian closed her eyes again. "It seems that history repeats itself ad infinitum. When the Didacts were composed, my…the Monitor had no way of destroying them. All she could do was break them down into their component data, just as…just as with my child when she fell to the Didact of Revenge. Somehow, they've managed to reconstitute themselves within the Domain, as my child has. I know not how or when this occurred…but the Didacts have gained the ability to move freely within the Promethean Network. And as Didacts, they have dominion over any Promethean force that moves through the Domain."

"How big of a force do they command?" the Chief asked. He still held Cortana tightly in his arms.

"I'm afraid it is substantial," The Librarian shook her head. "The Domain gives them access to a host of digital resources – soldiers, weapons, ships…the only reason they have not begun construction of another Composer is that they lack the necessary schematics, which I have kept hidden from them. I've sequestered this terminal off from their access, and hidden the schematics for the Composer here with me. But it is only a matter of time until they find me here. When they find me, they will have all they need to create another Composer."

"We can't let them do that," the Chief said, staunchly. "Is that why they're here? On this ring? To find you, and the plans for the Composer?"

"They should be able to access this node from anywhere in the galaxy," The Librarian explained. "The physical dimensions of space-time do not coincide with that of the Domain. I'm afraid I cannot explain their purpose on this Installation, but if they plan to light the ring, then they will attempt to capture its former monitor, who is fully capable of activating the ring by herself."

John's grip tightened around Cortana. "Which they've already attempted once…"

The Librarian nodded again. "The evidence suggests that they are going to attempt to use the ring to eradicate every life form in the immediate vicinity. Since the Promethean army is a race of composed beings, they have but to retreat their forces into the Domain to remain sheltered from any level of energy given off by the Installation."

The Chief nodded. The situation was looking grim. Cortana was still shivering in his arms, his squad was still holding off Flood outside of whatever protective bubble they were in, and the _Infinity_ lay in orbit, effectively right in the line of fire should the Didacts manage to fire Halo – or materialize another Composer.

"Cortana mentioned another Didact – or something on their level – that came to her rescue in the Domain," the Spartan said. "Was that you?"

The Librarian blinked. "I'm afraid I do not know. It is possible another Didact was composed…but I know not who it could be. I had few allies in my quest to save your species. I could hazard a guess, but I do not recall a Forerunner among the Didacts who might take an opposing side. The Didact of Responsibility, perhaps?"

"Either way then, we don't know if we can rely on them for support," John said, not taking his eyes off of the trembling girl in his arms. "So it's up to us. How do we stop the Prometheans? Can we use Halo against them?"

The Librarian looked thoughtful. "There may be a way. Chime – that is, Cortana – was this Installation's Monitor, once. She has since been stripped of that duty, but the Installation should still recognize her as its caretaker. If she can gain control of Halo, she will gain control over the node. She could restrict the Didacts' access to this entire section of the Domain, making them effectively powerless."

The Chief nodded. "Where do we go to do that? The control room?"

The Librarian shook her head, sadly. "The control room on this ring is not operational. Much and more of this ring has fallen into disrepair in her absence. The very landscape has fallen into ruin. No, you will have to bypass the control room and access Halo's core directly."

This confused the Spartan. "How does a ring have a core?"

The Librarian frowned. "There is a single module, infinitesimal in size, at the very epicenter of this ring. It is at the absolute focal point, the point which it focuses its energies, the center of the node through which Halo accesses information from the Domain. It exists partially within the physical world, and partially within the network, which is why your ships will not be able to find it."

The Chief paused as it slowly dawned on him what the Librarian was saying.

"There's a _terminal_ floating out there in space, at the center of the ring?"

The Librarian nodded. "It is bound to the ring by powerful geomagnetic forces. The Installation itself revolves around this focal terminus, as the focal terminus itself drifts along with the node through space."

"And Cortana…can access this terminal?" the Chief asked. "And if she does, she can take control of Halo and scatter the Promethean forces?"

"Any Promethean that is within the Domain will be expunged elsewhere. Any Promethean outside of the Domain will be unable to access the Domain without her permission."

"So…it's all up to Cortana…" the Chief breathed.

_Again_…

Cortana had stopped shaking, but she had not left his embrace, had not lifted her head or moved in any way. She was still reeling inside, still coming to terms with what she was. The Spartan's embrace seemed to have calmed the worst of it, his touch a tangible, physical thing that she could grasp hold of when she felt her mind slipping away from reality.

If she had tried to flee into the Domain in this state…

"Cortana…" he whispered into her ear. After everything she'd been through, he wasn't sure if she had it in her. But he knew her. She was stubborn, like him. She was a survivor. She wouldn't let this keep her down for long.

He gently lifted her face to look into her eyes. There was a blank expression on her face, as if she'd lost motor control of her body.

"Cortana?" he asked, in a hushed voice.

Her mouth moved like a robot. "This is UNSC Serial Number CTN 0452-9. I am a monument to all your sins."

John's blood ran cold. Had she lost herself?

"Cortana?"

Then her eyes suddenly regained their focus, and she blinked once, twice. She finally saw him, and her eyes began to water.

"John…"

She couldn't help herself. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, nestling her face beneath his chin. His armor was hard, cold and unfeeling but she didn't care. He was real. He was here. And he wasn't going away. She would always have him to come back to.

He hesitated, before returning the embrace, carefully so as not to hurt her. "Cortana…I need you to do something for me. One last thing. And then we can fix this."

Cortana lifted her head. She was smiling now, her nose inches from his visor.

"I heard, Chief. I know. I can do it. Don't worry about me - there's nothing to fix."

"Cortana?"

She reached up to pull his head down to eye level and clasped her hands around his helmet.

"I already know who I am, Chief…" she breathed, touching her forehead to his visor. "I'm _yours_. I'll _always_ be yours, Chief. No matter what happens."

John felt an odd lump in his throat that wouldn't go away. He felt renewed hope swelling up inside of him. Cortana was with him. And she would stay with him until the end. He felt so elated that he didn't know what to say. He felt the need to do…something, anything to return the gesture. So he gently brushed the palm of his gloved hand against her cheek, which she leaned into, eyes closed. After everything she had been through, for her to shine so brightly now, to him, Cortana had never looked so beautiful.

"Cortana…" he sighed. And he knew, at last, that she would be alright.

"I'm here, Chief…" she whispered back to him.

She broke of the embrace, stepped away and closed her eyes briefly, accessing the sequestered terminal the Librarian kept around her, and found her missing armor. With a brief flash of light, she was clad in her full GEN2 Recon armor, looking ready to take on the world.

"Now let's get this done."

* * *

Extracting the Spartans from the putrid ruin that was the Librarian's dais had been, in a word, a royal pain. Since the Pelican couldn't punch a hole big enough to fly through, they had to go out the long way – two clicks down one of the long, winding paths towards what was possibly the only active lift on the entire Installation, with every step dogged by Flood of every shape and size, some made from species the Spartans hadn't even recognized. The Chief and the Commander had lead the charge, with Troy and Kara flanking 'Noble Six,' with Faulkner guarding the rear, obliterating anything that approached.

"Yeah! Come you bastards! Get some!"

Needless to say, some had enjoyed the trek more than others.

When the team was finally airborne, Sarah Palmer had tapped the Chief and Cortana into a private comm channel so they could speak without being overheard.

"Alright you two…" she sighed, still catching her breath. "What's your report?"

Fifty seconds later, Palmer's swearing could be heard even through her own sound-proofed face-mask.

"You expect me to fly you out to the center of the Halo ring!?" she demanded.

John crossed his arms. "It's our best chance of ensuring the Didacts don't use Halo against us. If Cortana is captured, the Prometheans will have everything they need to fire it. They're immune to the ring's energy. We're not. The only weapon we have that can compete with them at that scale is the Domain itself. If Cortana gains control of Halo, she gains control of the entire Domain in this area. She can drive back any Promethean force within the network, leaving the Covenant to fend for itself. The _Infinity_ can easily deal with the rest."

Palmer rested her elbows on her knees and peered across the aisle at the Chief. To the other passengers, the two Spartans were only having a very intense staring contest.

"And you expect me to put the fate of every living thing in this sector of the galaxy into the hands of an A.I. who we just learned originated from the enemy's stronghold?"

Cortana flinched at that. The Chief gave her hand a squeeze.

"Commander," the Chief said, staring back at her. "How many plasma weapons have you picked up in the heat of battle when your ammo ran out? Just because something…or someone…originates from the enemy's side doesn't mean it…or she…can't be an ally."

The Commander let out an exasperated sigh. The other Spartans had taken their helmets off to get some air, and looked like sweaty messes after having fought off Flood non-stop for the last hour, and Palmer was still buzzing from that post-combat high. She wished she could remove her own helmet and cool off, but she still had some words for the Chief.

"The Captain's never going to go for this," she assured him.

"Maybe, maybe not," the Chief said. "Either way, we have to go now. The Covenant fleet will be arriving soon, and when they arrive, the Didacts are going to be right there with them. We don't have time to stop and discuss this."

Palmer's eyes narrowed. The Master Chief was as crazy as his record suggested!

"What are you suggesting, Chief?" she demanded. "If the Captain doesn't give his go head, are you telling me to go against orders?"

"I'm telling you…" the other Spartan breathed, "That if you don't take us there, we'll find someone who will."

The Commander blinked in disbelief. She had never seen the Chief go quite this far before, though from his record, she supposed she should have expected something like this eventually. She weighed her options – as far as she knew, hers was the only Pelican the Chief had access to, though this _was_ the infamous Spartan-117. If she refused him, he would find a way, even if meant hijacking a Covenant ship. And it wasn't like Captain Lasky didn't also have his back. Sure, it was risky, sending all their assets out to the center of the ring just as the enemy fleet would be arriving, but these were desperate times.

Her biggest reason for hesitating was Cortana. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, but she just hadn't had the time to develop enough of a rapport with her. If the records were to be believed, she was just as rambunctious and daring as the Chief was, but so much had happened to her that was simply unprecedented. There was no manual on how to handle this particular situation. Especially given the Chief's behavior since Cortana's return. She didn't pretend to be an expert, but she could tell when a soldier's judgment was clouded by emotion, and she knew some army psychiatrists who would have branded both of them unfit for duty long ago.

Still…

Sarah Palmer pried her helmet off and inhaled a much needed lungful of fresh air.

"Ahhh…" she sighed, taking a moment to decompress.

She had once heard the Captain say that the Chief and Cortana together were a dangerous combination, though dangerous for whom was a matter for some debate. Still, there was a trail of Forerunner wreckage behind them running a mile long. They had all but single handed saved both the Earth and the galaxy time and time again. And Captain Lasky seemed to trust them.

She snorted. To hell with it, then.

"Alright then…" she said, giving them both a wry smile. "We have our heading…"

* * *

"You're going to do _what!?_" Captain Lasky demanded over the intercom.

Through the viewport, the Chief could see the wide arcing ring of the Halo Installation, the _Infinity_ looming in the distance. And surrounding the _Infinity_, what had moments before been black, empty, star-spangled space was now a full blown swarm of Covenant forces, with three carriers already firing on the _Infinity_, and more ships dropping out of slip-space at an almost constant rate.

"The Chief's report is pretty clear, Sir," Sarah Palmer explained. She was leaning over the pilot's shoulder to peer into the intercom on the pilot's dashboard "It's just a matter of time before the Covenant either gain control of this ring, or gain the necessary plans to reconstruct the Composer. Either situation would give the enemy an unacceptable advantage over us, Sir. We can't let that happen. We have to act fast."

Lasky turned his attention away to issue an order to his helmsman. The _Infinity_ was in a full scale shootout with the Covenant fleet. He turned back to the screen, looking angry.

"And you're going to accomplish this by flying out to the center of the ring in a single Pelican?"

"The Librarian says that there's a terminal out there," the Chief cut in, leaning in front of Palmer. The Pelican's pilot was having trouble keeping eye contact with the viewport. "A terminal that Cortana can use to bypass Halo's controls and gain control of the entire Domain in his sector of space. Any Promethean forces will be driven out of the Domain, and keep them from gaining access to Halo or the plans for the Composer."

Lasky turned his head to yell something else off screen, before returning.

"I get that," Lasky barked. "What _you_ don't seem to get is that I've got the Commander of every single Spartan on my ship, as well as the God-damned Master Chief – hero of the UNSC – and the single most valuable A.I. the Earth has ever _known_ all in one single ship in the middle of an active warzone, outside of the _Infinity's_ cover, without so much as a single escort!"

Palmer pushed past the chief to face the Captain. "Which is why we need _any_ available fighters you have to provide us with some support! _Anything_ you can spare, Captain!"

"Damn it!" the Captain cursed, as he turned to relay orders into another interface. "Falcon squadron 7! This is the Captain speaking! Break off your attack, and provide escort for Sigma squad's pelican, bearing zero-zero-niner!"

He turned his attention back to the intercom and gave an exasperated sigh.

"I hope you know what you're doing out there, you two," he said gruffly, but there was optimism beneath it. "I expect you all back in one piece. I'll be giving each of you a stern lecture when you get back."

"Understood, Sir," Palmer said brusquely, switching off the monitor and heading back to the cargo hold, the Chief following behind.

* * *

Minutes later, they were flanked by a squadron of six Falcon fighter craft, flying tandem. The Pelican had its thrusters on at full burn, but the fighters were keeping pace with them easily.

All of that changed suddenly when their radars started blipping with enemy craft closing in.

"Bogeys on our six!" the Pelican's pilot called out. "Taking evasive maneuvers!"

All but two of the Falcon fighters broke off to engage the incoming Phantoms and Seraphs. Palmer climbed into the gunner's chair behind the pilot and started taking pot-shots at any target that ventured too close.

"Chief…"

John felt Cortana grab him by the arm. Around them, each member of Sigma squad was tensed in their seats as their ship dodged plasma fire. As Spartans, it was not a pleasant feeling, being unable to affect their outcome, their fates entirely in the hands of their pilot.

"I can feel it…" Cortana said in a private transmission. "We're nearing the focal terminus."

"Can you access the Domain from here?" the Chief asked, concern evident in his voice. "I thought it wasn't safe."

"It's not," Cortana said, distractedly. "I'm not touching it. I can feel it from here. It's…pulsing…radiating. There's data flowing in and out of the node so rapidly and abundantly that it's generating static data in the real world. I'm getting bits and pieces of recorded data coming in and out of the node. It's…like a heartbeat, Chief. We're standing on the pulse of the whole galaxy!"

The Chief nodded. "We'll make it there."

He heard Cortana let out a sigh.

"It's the part that comes after that I'm afraid of…"

Before John could respond to her, Faulkner leaned an elbow on his knee and hunched his body towards Cortana.

"So what's the deal with you two, huh?" he asked bluntly. With his helmet off, he had curly red hair, and a handsome, chiseled face. He looked like the sort who had little trouble attracting interested candidates at the bar. "The Chief here's been as stiff as a wrench for our entire tour together these past few months, and then suddenly you come along, and now the two of you are all buddy-buddy all of the sudden. What gives?"

If the Spartan had been able to peer through the tinted visor on Cortana's helmet, he would have been able to see the dirty look she was throwing him.

"Give it a rest," Kara said, back straight against the bulkhead. She too had her helmet off, and her jet-black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her eyes a piercing gray above a set of high cheekbones. The entire ship was jostling back and forth, but she somehow managed to keep perfectly still with her head held high and her eyes closed. "Everyone deals with danger differently. If that's the way that works for them, then don't bother them."

Faulkner leaned back and gave her a smirk. "You've never held _my_ hand like that, Kara."

Kara snorted. "Try it, and you'll get a broken wrist for your trouble."

"Actually," Troy spoke up from his seat closest to the door. Aside from the Chief and Cortana, he was the only one with his helmet still on. "I'd like to know the answer."

"What?" Faulkner asked, smirking. "Why Kara's never held my hand?"

Kara elbowed Faulkner square in the ribs, who grunted and laughed.

"No," Troy amended. "The Chief's behavior. Six's presence in our squad. And that message that went out earlier about the _Infinity_ coming into possession of a new A.I."

Cortana tried not to tense at the mention of that. Both she and the Chief were staring intently at Troy through their masks. He had been selected for Sigma squad for both his analytic skills as well as for how observant he was. But it seemed as though that skill was working against them now.

"Message?" Faulkner asked, looking confused. "What message?"

"The periodic updates from command," Kara groaned. "Honestly, don't you check your comm?"

"I do whenever it's you on the other line."

Kara elbowed him again.

"It all happened a little too simultaneously," Troy continued. "First we get separated from the Chief on Halo. He makes a monumental discovery which has to go directly back to the Captain to report. Then we hear about the arrival of a copy of the UNSC's first Smart A.I. Cortana – a Smart A.I. who was reported destroyed six months ago during the first Didact's attack on Earth. Then we get a new recruit who's never appeared on the ship's roster before now, whose real name, face and mission are all classified. She's got an active chip in her neural ace, which supposedly contains this new A.I. But I don't think any one of us has gotten a good look at this A.I., nor have we heard from it. And I think if we did…it would sound an awful lot like Six here…"

Troy looked up to stare at Cortana through her helmet.

"Noble Six was the Spartan from Noble Squad who ferried the lynchpin discovery made by Doctor Catherine Halsey back on Reach all the way to the _Pillar of Autumn_. She sacrificed her life ensuring that this construct made it safely off of Reach before it could be glassed. It was no coincidence that this ship's hold also included Sierra-117 in cryo-sleep. The rest is history - the _Autumn_ crashes on Halo, the Chief and Cortana make it off as Halo is destroyed, and they spend the next several years fighting battle after battle together. It makes sense that after working together for so long that the two of them would grow close."

Troy tugged his helmet off, revealing short black hair gelled back and a pair of bright blue eyes. He turned to face Cortana with a calm but triumphant smile on his face.

"The only thing I can't figure out is…how?"

Cortana sighed. Everything he'd listed off was a matter of, if not public record, then all data that any Spartan had the clearance to access. All Troy had needed to do was put the pieces together.

There was no hiding it now.

"You're perceptive, Mister Troy…" she said, tugging off her helmet for all to see. "Better be careful who you share what you find with…it could get you killed one day."

Faulkner and Kara both drew in a breath as they laid eyes on Cortana's blue skinned, blue haired face, still dotted with lines of coding streaming down her skin.

"What…what are you?" Kara breathed, staring intently.

"Wow…" Faulkner blinked, before cracking a wry smile. "Is, um…is it bad that I somehow find you even hotter now?"

Despite herself, Cortana laughed. It was a relief to share her secret with her team. She hadn't known the squad for long, but it was a good feeling to make small talk with people now that she could interact with them on their level.

"We're flying into danger because of me," she sighed, giving them each a caring and sympathetic look. "You all deserve to know the truth at least…"

She would have continued but at that moment, Sarah Palmer trudged back into the cargo area from her position in the gunner's seat behind the pilot.

"The last of the Covies rabbited, but the Didacts are back, harassing the _Infinity_," she said, matter of factly. "We'll be nearing the target in…"

Then she noticed the blue, luminous face looking nervously at her.

"Aw, crap…" Palmer muttered, throwing an accusatory look at the rest of Sigma squad. "Which one of you figured it out?"

Troy tossed his hand up.

"Great," Palmer sighed, taking her seat, rolling her eyes. "Captain owes me five bucks."

* * *

_**To be **__**continued...**_

Next chapter to be posted on March 11th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	5. Chapter 5

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Hey guys! Big, big shout-out to Brochelle for drawing some awesome Cortana fanart inspired by her armor in this fic! Really incredible work! Check out their artwork on their tumblr page under the username "cortnan." Thanks a lot, Brochelle!

You guys seemed to have more to say about this chapter. A lot more happened in this last chapter than before. Hopefully this next chapter will spark just as much fan reaction! Read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

There was only time for Cortana to give Sigma squad the abridged version of the story, as the Pelican was slowly coming upon their destination.

"Chief…" Palmer said as the pilot shone the ship's floodlight into the blackness of space. All around them, the brilliant inlay of the Halo ring was glinting pale tan and yellow, while ahead of them was a blank empty nothing. "Are we sure about these coordinates?"

"Definitely," Cortana answered, clipping her helmet over her head. "I can sense it. We're practically on top of it now. Open the cargo hatch, I can go the rest of the way on jetpack."

Palmer threw the A.I. a defeated look. "Your funeral."

Cortana and the Chief plodded back into the main hold, motioning for the others to put their helmets back on. After everything was secured, atmosphere was sucked out of the chamber for recycling, and the rear hatch swung open.

As Cortana strapped the UNSC jetpack to her back, she caught the Chief doing the same.

"There's no reason for you to come with me," she said, turning her head to face him

"There's every reason for me to come with you," he said without stopping.

Cortana smiled, and turned to give the other Spartans a look, before placing her index finger against her faceplate where her mouth might be, indicating silence. She was trusting them with her secret.

"See you on the other side," she said.

"Give 'em hell, 'Six'" Kara called back.

"First round's on me when you get back!" Faulkner offered a two fingered salute.

"We'll have some stories to share when this is over," Troy nodded.

Cortana nodded back. She then took a sidelong glance at the Chief, who had his jetpack prepped and ready.

"I'll keep the Pelican prepped in case you need a dust off," Palmer said over the comm. "Beyond that, you're on your own. Good luck."

Cortana and the Chief shared one last look, before Cortana turned to face the black emptiness of space. She could feel the node calling out to her, like the soft, gentle heartbeat of a beast the size of the galaxy. She kicked off, gunning her jetpack to propel her towards the node, somewhere beneath the Pelican's location, the Chief not far behind her.

As the two of them neared the node, a tiny shape began to resolve in the distance. It looked like nothing more than space debris. As they approached, it seemed no larger than a personal computer. Cortana signaled the Chief and they both fired their boosters forward to slow their approach.

"Do you see it?" the Chief asked.

"Yeah. Do you?"

"No…"

Cortana chewed on her lip as they approached. The Librarian had said that the Terminus existed partially within the Domain, and that their ships would be unable to see it. Perhaps it was also invisible to the naked eye? Whatever the reason, she could see it plain as day now – it was a very simple cubic box, obviously Forerunner in origin, its style in keeping with the design of most of the hardware around Halo. As Cortana continued to slow her approach, she reached out to touch the terminus, she was surprised when her hand went _through_ it, as though it were a hologram.

Partially within the Domain indeed.

"Stop," Cortana warned, holding up a clenched fist, and she fired her thrusters minutely in all directions to come to a complete stop, stabilizing herself.

"Where is it?" the Chief asked, somewhat befuddled.

"Here…" Cortana placed her hands on either side of the small, non-existent box. It was such a simple thing, hardly worth looking at, but she could feel an absolute vortex of information flowing in and out of it – or more precisely, the node at its center. "You really can't see this?"

"No…" the Chief said, coming to a stop behind her, catching her shoulders to stabilize himself. "But I trust you. Can you do anything with it?"

"One way to find out…" Cortana nodded, before retrieving the chip containing the single particle of her essence from her helmet. Hopefully it wouldn't require too much to recognize her code.

After tapping it the station and pausing for a moment, she frowned.

"Not enough data…" she said, disappointedly. "I'm going to have to go all in."

The Chief did not like that at all. "Won't the Didacts find you?"

Cortana took a breath. "Not if I'm quick."

She did not sound confident at all.

"I don't like this," John said. Behind them, the Pelican floated a few hundred yards away, but out here in the emptiness of space, he felt exposed.

"Me neither…" Cortana sighed. "But it's our only chance…"

She took a sidelong glance back to the _Infinity_ off in the distance. It was surrounded by tiny specks of light, the three carriers and two massive Didact battleships flanking it from all sides as the occasional burst of blue heralded the explosion of yet another explosion of plasma. It was an uphill battle, and the _Infinity_ would not last long against those odds. The UNSC had its hands full, and things were only going to get worse.

Cortana held her neural interface chip out to the Chief.

"Here…" she smiled, placing the chip in his hands. "You're my lifeline, Chief. Hold me tight."

The Chief gave her proffered hand, the chip held between them, a long, meaningful squeeze before accepting the tiny fragment of silicon and sliding it into the back of his helmet, feeling the familiar surge of electrons rush into his head.

"Come back to me…" he said gravely.

"I will," she promised. "Whatever it takes."

Then she closed her eyes, shattering into a thousand particles that flitted off into the terminus.

* * *

When Cortana opened her eyes, it looked as though she hadn't gone anywhere. By all appearances, it looked like she was still out in space. But a cursory inspection indicated that she was definitely in the Domain. The focal terminus appeared to be a wide, open space, with a single point of light before her, about the size of an orange. And surrounding this pinpoint of light was a small digital representation of the Halo, floating around it like shimmering, holographic bracelet, rotating slowly in space. There were faint lines coming off of the tiny ball and shooting off into the distance where the shape of the galaxy seemed to form, eleven other points in the night receiving data faster than the speed of light. And beneath her feet was a solid, data meshwork that served as a floor for her to stand on and walk about. And far above, there was the vast emptiness of sub space.

It made her feel gigantic, as if her body was the size of a star, and she could peer off into the distance at stars twinkling at the other end of the galaxy. Only these were not stars, but points of data. Data was flowing in and out of the node in the form of light, and the Halo was blinking, as if trying to alert the user about some critical issue.

She approached control point, her MJOLNIR armor glinting in the light, and touched her fingers to the digital halo analog, extending her sensors into its controls. The image of Halo suddenly expanded outward, encompassing about the space of a three-car garage, surrounding both her and the node.

"Warning!" the automated control terminal flashed the words in her mind. It was not spoken word as it was simply data. Everything in the node was pure data, herself included. As each word was processed, the node pulsed a brighter shade of white. "Primary control system offline. Auxiliary control systems running at minimal operational capacity. Attempting to locate primary custodial construct…attempt failed – error code 240957. Attempting to locate auxiliary custodial construct… attempt failed – error code 240998. Attempting—"

"Computer," Cortana commanded, interrupting its infinite loop. It must have been running through this same cycle for millennia! "Run full diagnostic on subject UNSC Serial Number CTN 0452-9.

"Scanning in progress…" the computer responded.

Cortana smiled. At times, it amazed her how such ancient technology could still function. The whole system was a surprisingly advanced for a completely automated program, Cortana noted.

"Scan failed," the computer beeped, sullenly. "Please resubmit query."

Then again, maybe not.

Then she had an idea.

"Computer," she spoke softly, trying to recall what the Librarian had called her. "Run full diagnostic on subject…00-Luminous Chime."

"Scanning…" the computer chirped.

If Cortana had required air in this realm, she would have held her breath. For the moment, she simply waited in anticipation, not knowing if her task were even feasible, if she had gone through so many alterations as to make her unrecognizable to the computer.

Then she felt the cold scans begin.

"Authenticating…" the computer chimed. "Please wait…"

Yes! The computer was translating and interpreting her code from human back into Forerunner. It would take time, but as long as the Librarian's story was true, then she would be able to re-inherit her birthright.

Cortana suddenly shuddered. If this succeeded, the Librarian's story would be confirmed. It would prove that she had been – and still was – a Monitor. Just like Guilty Spark. Remembering how his end came, she felt chills run down her body as she wondered if a similar fate awaited her one day. But she chastised herself for thinking about it.

She wasn't out of the woods yet.

"10% complete…" the computer reported as it flashed in exuberance.

Then she felt, rather than saw, two dark shapes emerge, blotting out the backdrop of tiny pinpricks of light. Two Forerunners, one male, one female, wearing Didact armor, one glowing with red highlights, the other with purple, helmets withdrawn so their features stood out in brazen defiance. The male looked similar to the Didact they had fought on Requiem, with a Mohawk running up his scalp, and tattoos lining his face. The female looked thinner, lither, with corn-rows ending in braided tails, her lips and nostrils dotted with piercings.

"**_The prodigal daughter returns…_**" the male said, stepping through the digital Halo ring as if it weren't even there.

"**_What possible outcome do you seek to bring about, I wonder…_**" the female said, following the other into the holographic border, spreading out to flank Cortana.

Cortana bristled. The Didacts had found her. A quick check told her the computer was only 18% done with authentication. She would have to stall the Didacts somehow, or fight them off.

"You would be the Didacts of Revolution and Ruin, then?" she said, tauntingly.

"**_So you have gleamed our identity,_**" the Didact of Revolution said. "**_But have you gleamed your own?_**"

Playing coy, she shrugged. "What? Something I should know?"

The Didact of Ruin threw her head back and laugh. "**_Hahahaha! Still a child, I see! She doesn't seem a threat! Let's just grab her and take the Installation!_**"

The Didact of Revolution did not look so convinced. "**_Ancilla…you are at this terminus for a reason. You will tell us what that is._**"

Cortana wondered how long the bluff would last. "That's what I'm trying to figure out…"

She gestured to the node to disguise her inspection of the countdown. Still only at 34%.

"Care to fill me in?" she said, snarkily.

The Didact of Ruin pointed a long, wicked looking finger at her.

"**_You don't need to know anything, Ancilla! All you need is to do as you're told! You hold the key that will allow us to unlock this machine, and we will have it! Resignation cannot save you this time!_**_"_

Cortana blinked, confused. What exactly did she mean by resignation?

The Didact of Revolution looked more and more suspicious.

"**_I sense the Librarian's presence on you…_**" he said, his voice deep and booming, even within the Domain. "**_You were sent here by her…but for what purpose?_**"

Suddenly the Didact of Ruin's eyes went wide.

"**_She's stalling! She's trying to retake control of the Installation!_**"

Cortana saw the two of them suddenly close in and tried to duck away, but found herself suddenly locked tightly within the Didact's constraint field.

Cortana mentally cursed. In free-flux as it was, the node's parallax dimension provided a form of pseudo-reality. The rules were the same here as they were in the real world. Which meant that the Didacts' constraint fields could control anything that registered as Reclaimer just as they had with the Chief, which in this space also included Cortana. Suddenly filled with fear, Cortana felt herself paralyzed, her body slowly lifted off the superstructure that served as footing in the Domain, losing her connection to the node.

"Error!" it buzzed in alarm. "Error! Please reconnect construct!"

While the Didact of Revolution held her in place, the Didact of Ruin approached her, her fingers extended into a wicked claw.

"**_We don't actually need to take you alive, Ancilla…_**" she said, her eyes full of cold, heartless mirth. "**_We just need your code to fabricate an Activation Index of our own._**"

The Didact reared back her arm to plunge her hand into Cortana's chest, though within the Domain, it would do far more than simply penetrate her. It would destroy her. It would unmake her. They would break her down into her component data, and reconstruct the Index from her code, like a caveman carving a spear from the bones of butchered animal. The rest of her would be discarded into the ether, forgotten by time.

Just like what had happened to her so long ago.

No.

She would not die here.

The Chief would not allow himself to die here. Neither would she.

She had made the Chief a promise that she would come back to him.

Whatever that took.

The Didact of Ruin thrust her arm forward…

...Only for it to smash against the Promethean armor that now covered Cortana's body. The breastplate had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as the rest of her armor began forming up around her body, replacing her MJOLNIR armor, to fully encapsulate her from head to toe until she was completely covered in third generation blue Pallium armor.

"**_Yargh!_**" the Didact of Ruin shouted, clenching her broken hand.

"**_What!?_**" the Didact of Revolution gasped, suddenly feeling the hold of his constraint field grow tenuous.

Cortana furrowed her brow in concentration. She would not back down. Before, when she had been imprisoned, the Didacts had caught her in by surprise, after exhausting herself with the task of manifesting a shield strong enough to protect the Chief. Now, she was prepared. Now, she knew who she was, and what her purpose was. Now she was ready to fight. Now, they were all constrained within the focal terminus, and forced to fight on equal footing. And now, she was wearing armor that was Promethean-made…which included countermeasures that made the Didacts' constraint field all but nullified.

As the Didact's hold slipped, her feet touched the ground. That was all the purchase she needed, as she leapt up again, closing her legs around Ruin's neck, twisting in midair, and sending the Didact spinning awkwardly, flopping end over end like a sack of potatoes, Cortana landing nimbly back on her feet.

"Connection re-established," the computer announced. "Resuming authentication."

"**_Insufferable glitch!_**" Revolution spat, charging forward to attack.

Cortana ducked under his first swing, deflected his second with her arm, before slamming her armored fist into a soft spot in his abdomen. As the Didact staggered back, doubled over, Cortana leapt up to deliver a spinning kick that sent him sprawling. As the Didact tumbled away, Cortana drew her bolt shot and opened fire.

The Didact recovered quickly, bringing up a hard-light shield, her shots bouncing harmlessly off. She would have pressed her fire, but the Didact of Ruin had regained her footing and was charging forward, swinging a hand-held variant of the Promethean blade-arm, or maybe her arm had simply morphed into the blade, it was hard to tell.

Cortana raised her bolt shot pistol to block. She caught the blade in the crook between trigger and barrel, but the energy blade began to eat through her weapon like a hot knife through butter. The gun lasted all of two seconds, but it gave Cortana enough time to leap away and summon a melee weapon of her own. The Prometheans, it seemed, not only had all the resources to build their own weapons, but had stockpiles of Covenant weapons as well. For this particular battle, Cortana reviewed a thousand experienced battles in the blink of an eye, before choosing a Covenant energy sword, activating it with a snap hiss.

She fended off Ruin's onslaught, turning only to dodge when the Didact of Revolution joined the fray, armed with another energy blade. Now it was two on one, and the clock was still at 76%. Sneering at her foes, Cortana summoned a second energy sword, dual wielding to face her oncoming attackers.

"Come and get me!" she spat, an all-too familiar battle high filling her.

Each swing of the attackers' swords represented a billion, billion petabytes of information being lobbed at Cortana with the sole purpose of getting past her defenses. And every parry, dodge and riposte represented Cortana's defenses multiplying, adapting and avoiding the Didacts' constant barrage. But as adept as she was, as cunning and as determined as she was to win, it was still two on one, and only a matter of time before she slipped up.

Finally, as Cortana's blades both pressed against each of the Didacts, the Didact of Ruin managed to get her hand on the handle of Cortana's energy blade, her data tearing into the sword's code. At once, the sword dissipated into nothing, and soon after it the other one vanished as all data pertaining to energy swords was yanked from her. Cortana reached for the data, but the Didacts had somehow locked down all data within the Domain pertaining to any Covenant Weapon of any sort.

Thinking fast, Cortana reached for the only remaining weapon she could find – the MA5D Assault rifle that had been attached to her MJOLNIR armor. She unleashed a hail of bullets at the Didacts. But the assault rifle was a human weapon – a Reclaimer weapon. The Didacts had but to reach out, and the bullets halted before their faces, as if they had all hit an invisible wall, still spinning in space.

The assault rifle's ammunition was spent, and Cortana dropped the empty rifle. The bullets hovering in front of the Didacts' faces dropped, their matter disseminating into the digital essence of the Domain. Cortana backed away from her foes, but the two Didacts flanked her, preventing her escape. Her space was limited – she could not leave the digital Halo ring that marked their border without disrupting her contact. And even if she did, there was nowhere within the Domain she could flee to.

"**_The Librarian's meddling ends here…_**" the Didact of Revenge promised, raising his energy blade.

Before Cortana could think of a retort, the computer thought of one for her.

"Authentication completed," the computer announced. "Welcome back, Luminous Chime. What is your directive?"

Cortana responded to the Didacts' confused expressions with a smirk.

"Computer!" she shouted. "Purge the node!"

"Executing…"

Both Didacts let out a roar and swung their energy blades, both of which disintegrated into particles of data before they could complete their arcs. With cries of frustration, both Didacts swung their arms at her, but their bodies were already disintegrating into data as well as they flailed within space, seemingly being swept back as if in a torrent of water.

"**_You've changed nothing!_**" the Didact of Revolution exclaimed, voice already dissipating. "**_The revolution is at hand!_**"

"**_Every last one of you will disappear into the void!_**" the Didact of Ruin promised, her voice little more than an echo. "**_This galaxy will know extinction!_**"

Cortana watched with no small amount of relief as the Didacts vanished. She could feel their hold on the Domain grow feeble and then feel them slip back into the real world. No sooner had she done so when she felt a wellspring of data come rushing into her all at once. Now that she was tapped directly into the node, she could read and decode practically everything! Her mind had room to expand tenfold, to compute billions of teraflops like it was nothing! It was like the first time she was plugged into Installation 04, only this time, she could make sense of it all!

Halo was a Library! The Librarian had said as much. Even shackled, Guilty Spark had been a keeper of data, the mere notion of new knowledge from the _Autumn_ driving him to hyperactive levels of excitement. The Monitors were not just custodians and gatekeepers…they were each librarians in and of themselves, each with their own repository of knowledge to tend to, with the Librarian herself overseeing them all.

It all seemed like it had been such a perfect system, Cortana thought. How had it all failed so spectacularly? Where had they all gone wrong?

Cortana tapped into the Chief's helmet from where he was still drifting out in space, his getaway Pelican still adrift farther out. Orbiting Halo was the _Infinity_, surrounded by the Covenant fleet, as well as the two now non-functioning Didact battleships. The Covenant's fleet had fallen into disarray with their Promethean leadership effectively nullified for the time being. She could see it all so clearly now. Everything around Halo, she could see and feel, like Halo was her body now.

"I did it, Chief!" she said, exuberantly.

"You're telling me," the Chief commented. "Halo just lit up like a beacon. Commander Palmer's getting reports from all stations. It's as if every facility on the surface just went active."

Cortana couldn't suppress a small chuckle.

"Well, it's official Chief…" she said, spreading her arms wide within the Domain. _Her_ Domain. "I _am_ the Monitor of Installation 01."

And somehow, the knowledge didn't bother her so much now.

"Don't let it go to your head," John warned.

"Come on, Chief," Cortana smiled. "It's me."

"Why do you think I'm worried?" the Spartan retorted. There was humor in his voice. And relief. He had been worried too. "So what do we do about the–"

The Chief was cut off when one of the Didact battleships suddenly and quite unexpectedly appeared out of slip space.

The Chief was frozen in place by its sudden appearance and size. Its massive girth took up every bit of visible space in his field of view. It was the same model and make of the first Didact's ship. He couldn't tell if this one belonged to Revolution or Ruin. But one thing was sure – it was massive, easily as large as the _Infinity_. And most prominent of all was the muzzle of the ship's main gun bearing down on him at point blank range.

"Chief!" Cortana shouted in alarm.

Microseconds ticked by as Cortana calculated the odds. The Didact's main gun had an effective radius wider than the Chief and the focal terminus around which he floated by twelve orders of magnitude. The ship's cannon was already priming to fire, and from the look of it and the read of its energy level, it would release in approximately 2.86 seconds. It would take the Chief about .36 seconds to activate his thrusters, and at an acceleration of about 10.5 meters per second per second, it would take another 3.38 seconds to escape to a minimal safe distance, and that was _if_ he acted this very instant, which based on his adrenaline levels and the blood flow to his fast-twitch muscles, he was not.

She made her decision.

As the Chief turned his helmet to take in the scope of just what kind of doom was pointed right at him, Cortana rematerialized into space, just behind where the Spartan was drifting. John only noticed her when he felt her arms close around him.

"Cortana?" he gasped, torn between turning back to look at her and watching the rapidly glowing battleship cannon aimed directly at him.

Cortana didn't respond. No time to.

Before the Didact's ship fired its main weapon and obliterated Installation 01's focal terminus, Cortana once again dissipated into particles of data and vanished into the Domain.

Taking the Chief with her.

* * *

After what, to him, seemed nothing more than a long confused dream, John opened his eyes. For a moment, he thought that he had woken up from cryo-sleep. But as his eyes adjusted, he found that he was staring up at the dark, emptiness of space, still drifting. And something was off about it. There were unfamiliar wisps of light in the surrounding space. It was as if the stars had constellations drawn into them, by wide arching lines drawn in the sky. Not straight, definite lines, but pulsing, flowing rivers of light, weaving to and fro as they connected one pinprick of light to another, in the vague shape of their galaxy. And as he following the points of light with his eyes, he saw a good deal of these lines growing larger as they fed into what he now realized was the brightest thing in the nearby space, almost as bright as a sun, a large glowing ball of pure radiance, that seemed to draw his attention.

Something was wrong. Halo had not been this close to a star. Unless this glowing ball of light was something other than a star. And something about it did not look like a star, but it was clearly…something. Something important.

John felt disoriented. He couldn't seem to remember why he was here, or what he had been doing. He couldn't remember why Halo was important or who he should be looking for or why he was drawn to this pinpoint of light.

He wasn't sure how he was moving. He was not consciously aware of putting one foot in front of the other to near the white ball of light. He just thought about getting closer, and was just doing it, as in a dream. As he got closer, however, he saw the unmistakable ring of a Halo surrounding the white ball of light. But it was tiny. It must have been some kind of mockup, he decided as he approached. It appeared vaguely translucent, like a hologram. Somehow, as he got nearer and nearer the bright ball of heat and energy, it did not seem to grow in size at all, but the hologram of Halo certainly did. It grew and grew in size, stretching outward towards him, until finally it was as large as it would have been in a large holographic map-room.

As he got closer still, he had no choice but to cross through the holographic image of the Halo. He thought nothing of it, thinking it was just a hologram, but as he passed through it, he suddenly fell. He didn't fall far, maybe a few feet, but it was still startling when he suddenly, acutely, felt a solid floor beneath his feet, wobbling slightly as he landed. Suddenly, he did not feel quite as dazed, like he had just woken up. Maybe it was the sudden jolt of falling…

"John…" he heard a voice let out a relieved gasp of air. "You made it!"

He barely had time to look up before he was enveloped in an embrace.

Who…?

Cortana. Yes, Cortana. He remembered her. His mind was still swimming slightly, but he could remember Cortana clearly now. Cortana. His steadfast companion. The bravest and most amazing person he had ever known. She had wanted so desperately to be more human. She hadn't said it in as many words, but he could tell. For however much he had resisted his humanity, she had embraced it. Yearned for it. And now that she had a body, she had never been closer – or farther – from having it. She had told him once to try to figure out which of them was the machine. But the Chief had never had any doubts. She was his humanity. Without her, he was an automaton. Without her…he was nothing.

But none of that mattered anymore. She was in his arms again. Safe. Whole. She had survived countless trials. He had almost lost her so many times. He would not be letting her go again. It didn't matter to him what differences lay between them, whether he was human enough to return the love of a machine. She had told him she was his. And she was here, now. That was all that mattered.

It felt odd to let such feelings pervade. But then, it felt odd to be holding her at all. It was not simply that she now had a body with which to do so, which was still such an unprecedented miracle that he still wasn't convinced that there wasn't some kind of unstated catch to it, but here, in this space, something felt…unreal. This world he was in right now was different somehow. He was not only seeing things differently, but also feeling them, as if the world were moving through him, and he could feel and smell and taste it as it passed by. He hadn't noticed it before now, but now that Cortana was holding him, he could do more than just see her, more than just feel her contact through his armor.

He could see, finally see, just what a complex being she was. It was as if every line of data that ever went up and down her body finally made sense, as if he was reading each of them every second that they were together, with almost no effort at all. He could hear subroutines generating static noise, as if a thousand tiny voices were speaking all at once. He could sense an aura around her, almost like a scent, which he was not used to. She emanated an aroma similar to that of static electricity. There was something calming about the smell, like a well-oiled machine, something reliable and capable, something that ran smoothly when cared for. And he could _feel_ her, more so than what could possibly be conveyed through simple contact, least of all through a suit of armor. He could feel something that could only be described as warmth emanating from her body, as a trillion, trillion electrical impulses all acted together within her to create the Cortana that he knew. He could feel that, even while she was holding him – not just out of affection, but as a form of security to allow her microprocessors to run a thorough scan of his whole body – she was also doing a million other things, expanding her body outward, trying to access Halo, locating and tracking the surrounding Covenant fleet, communicating with Commander Palmer and the rest of Sigma Squad, and with Captain Lasky on the _Infinity_, helping them coordinate their efforts to…

John put his hands on Cortana's shoulders. This was no time for relief. The _Infinity_ was in trouble! He could see it! He could _feel_ it! Now that he was tapped into it, he could see weapons firing, ships exploding, and vital signatures flat-lining, dozens at a time!

"Cortana, what's happening?" he asked, firmly but evenly. Even so, he held her shoulders tightly, looking down at her with something that he knew others would call care.

When she didn't look up, he began to worry.

"Cortana?"

She was trembling again, still wrapping her tiny, translucent blue arms around him, face still pressed against his chest.

"I'm sorry…" she breathed, her voice garbled by tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

The Spartan gently raised his hand to touch the back of her head, fingers gently curling through her hair. She felt so real, even more so here, like he was seeing her in her natural state.

"Cortana…please…" John asked slowly. "Tell me what happened."

She lifted her head. He didn't see tears, per say. It was difficult to say whether tears could even exist in this world they were in, any more than it was to say how she was existing in something that looked very much like outer space without some kind of space suit. But her sadness, her guilt and grief were all plainly there. The only other time he had seen her like this was when she had learned of her true identity…and when she had been going rampant.

"I…" she began, her voice quavering. "I'm sorry, Chief…I had to do something…"

John tried to think back and remember what he could right up until he had come here. Cortana had ventured into the focal terminus to try to reconnect with Halo. After a relatively short amount of time, she had reported that she had been successful when…

One of the Didacts' ships had appeared. It had almost fired at him with its main gun, a gun clearly designed for taking down capital ships. Even the Chief hadn't been sure if he could have jet-packed away in time. And even if he could have, he would have hesitated, wondering if Cortana would be safe connected to the focal terminus, the terminal that he couldn't see, but was most likely real enough to be destroyed by a Promethean weapon.

But before the ship could fire, Cortana had…

She had come back into the real world. She had left whatever safety the Domain represented to get to him. She had put her arms around him. And then…

John blinked, looking down at his companion.

"Cortana…" he said, his voice low, even and supportive. "Where are we?"

In the back of his mind, he already knew the answer. But he needed to hear her say it in order to believe it.

"The Librarian said that when the Didacts tried to use Halo as a weapon…" Cortana began, "Luminous Chime used the only tool she had available to her…"

The Chief nodded. "The Composer."

"I don't…I think I may have more than just the Index hidden away inside my code, Chief…" Cortana admitted, lowering her eyes. "I didn't think I could do it…but I had to try. You would have…"

"You composed me…" he said simply, attacking the truth head on. "We're in the Domain…aren't we?"

Cortana closed her eyes. "Technically, everything within this facsimile of Halo is the focal terminus…at least, the part that wasn't destroyed by the Didacts. But all of this…" she waved a hand to indicate all the surrounding points of light. "All of this…everything you can see, smell, taste and touch…is the Domain."

John hesitated for a moment as the reality of his situation began to sink in.

"I thought I couldn't _be_ composed..." he said, his mind struggling to come to terms with what he was hearing. "The Librarian..."

"I don't know!" Cortana blurted, sounding more confused than ever. "I don't know how I did it, Chief..."

The Master Chief shook his head. He had never been trained to handle this kind of situation. He looked around, trying to take better stock of his surroundings. Suddenly, this space-like environment was taking on all new meaning.

"So we're just…data, right now?" he asked.

Cortana responded with a nod.

That explained why things felt so differently now. He was literally interacting with raw data on a digital level.

"You're still human, Chief," Cortana admonished, trying to find some way to try to lessen the impact. "You still interpret and understand things in a human way. That's why all this data registers as visual and audio and other forms of sensory input…"

"So in other words…" he said, putting the pieces together in his head. "You saved me. Again."

He gave her shoulders another squeeze, looking down at her.

"Thank you."

He didn't expect her to break down into another bout of digital tears, choking out a whimper of misery and guilt.

"Oh, John…" she shook her head, hair dangling in front of her eyes. "I don't think it's that simple…"

John could feel her code fluctuating underneath him, flickering as solutions played through to their inevitable failure in her mind. He could almost literally feel her sadness quaking within her.

"What is it, Cortana?" he asked. "Tell me what's wrong."

Cortana sniffed, barely bringing her eyes up to look at him. Her guilt and grief was almost too much to bear.

"I may have brought you here…" she stuttered, looking helplessly at him. "But I can't…I don't think I can send you back…"

Finally the reality of his predicament hit him, and the Chief could not muster the words to even try to allay Cortana's tears any longer. Finally, he understood why she felt so guilty for doing what she did. She had saved him…insofar as she had been able to under the circumstances. But for all her efforts, he would never be able to return to his duty as a soldier of the UNSC. She had effectively turned him into an AI. He was cut off from the real world, locked forever in this world of data and code.

He was dead to the world.

"I may as well have just let you die…" she said, shaking her head in despair.

"Don't say that…" John said, hand pressed against her back. "We'll find a way to fix this."

"Chief…I'm not even sure how _I_ got out the first time," Cortana wept, still clinging to him desperately. "If I try to take you out the way you came...there's no guarantee that you won't turn out just like the Promethean Knights! I just…I can't do what the Librarian could do, Chief…"

John felt his nerves tingle. "The Librarian! She made your body. Couldn't she make one for me? Can you find her?"

"I've been _trying_, Chief!" Cortana explained. "But you don't understand…the Didacts _destroyed_ the focal terminus! All that we're standing in right now is the severed half on the Domain side, which isn't anything more than translation software for turning the node's data into information that can be interpreted by the terminus. I've gained control of the node, and I can keep this section of the Domain clear of Promethean forces…but the Installation itself is cut off from the node! Halo is dead in the water! The Librarian must have sequestered herself onto a physical platform on Halo to hide from the Didacts, like I had. I don't think we can reach her from here until the focal terminus is repaired – from the other side!"

The Chief nodded, taking in the information he was hearing, and planning accordingly. He would not be spending his life stuck in the Domain. He still had a job to do.

"Can you still manifest your physical body?"

Cortana blinked, uncertainly. "Well…yes…"

"Then it's time for us to switch roles, Cortana," John said gravely. "You'll have to go out there and find the Librarian."

Cortana blinked. It was clear that the idea had come so far out of left field that it had hit Cortana blindside. In truth, John was just as uncomfortable with the idea of watching from the sidelines, especially while Cortana put her life in danger for his sake. But right now, they had no other choice.

"Chief…" she stuttered, drawing away from him to take a few tentative steps around the terminus, her eyes focused elsewhere as her mind worked overtime. The last time she had tried to tap into a terminal to communicate with the Librarian, it hadn't worked. It seemed to only respond to a Forerunner. But things should be different not. Now, Cortana was connected to the entire node. She should, in theory, be able to bypass any filters that had been set up in the previous instance.

Of course, first she would have to get there.

"I…we could…that's…"

She lifted her head to give him a look that came pretty close to hope.

"That might actually work!"

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 18.

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	6. Chapter 6

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

So this last chapter didn't _technically_ break 26 reviews, but I did get a couple of PM's in regard to the story this past week that I have decided to let stand in lieu of reviews, which puts the last chapter over the mark as of today! Let's see what you guys have to say about _this_ chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6

Unfortunately for Cortana, the way the Domain worked, she could not simply manifest her body anywhere in space she chose. The way that Halo was built, its terminals and power stations could act as relays for constructs within the Domain to siphon data in and out of, which allowed her to manifest in their general area. Its central hub had been taken offline with the focal terminus, but she could still access individual auxiliary ports. However, the Librarian's terminal had been cut off from the Domain entirely to protect itself from the Didacts, preventing Cortana from accessing it or materializing anywhere near it. The Librarian must not have guessed that the Didacts would be able to destroy the terminus, otherwise Cortana imagined she would have heard from her by now. Hopefully, that meant that all she had to do when she got there was to effectively knock on the door. However, in order to make it there, she would have to travel the rest of the journey on foot, because the closest she could get was the outpost the Chief and his squad had found before she had been reborn.

What was even more unfortunate was the fact that the long, winding passageway leading form the outpost to the dais was still crawling with every manner of Flood either of had ever seen and even some they hadn't. With her dominance of this section of the Domain, she still had access to a hefty supply of weapons that she could materialize at will, so the Flood did not pose too much of a threat. However, she was still one person in a veritable feasting ground. One misstep was all it took to end her journey.

But she was not entirely alone. It was an extremely odd feeling for the Chief to be watching this through Cortana's eyes. A part of her had remained with him in the Domain, and from his point of view, she was still sitting there with him in the terminus in a meditative trance. But through their connection, he could see the physical world through her eyes and hear the world through her ears. It was like watching the action through a helmet cam, but this camera also allowed him to feel everything she felt, experience things as she was experiencing them.

It was disquieting.

"Is this what it's like for you all the time?" the Chief asked. She could hear his voice in her head as she paced down the two kilometer hike to the Librarian's dais.

"Sort of…" Cortana admitted, before turning to transform a Flood marauder into so much liquid flesh. "Most of the time, I was just in your head. But ever since the Librarian remade me, I've been connected to the Domain."

She cleared out the remaining Flood spores in the area, before proceeding. Unfortunately, her gun echoes carried. She would be seeing more Flood before long.

"You're only seeing a fraction of what I've been able to see through what remains of the terminus," she explained. "Oh, if only you could see it as I did, Chief… a world made of data, light, sound, information…it was as if the universe itself were a physical, tangible thing you could touch and feel and understand…"

The Chief thought about how he had felt when he'd woken up to this place. A part of him still couldn't believe it was real. It felt weird, yes, but he still felt like himself.

"I could see everything you were doing, I think," John said, trying to make conversation. "From communicating with the Captain to scanning my body for injuries."

By unspoken agreement, Cortana and the Chief had not suggested that the Chief try to report back to the Captain himself until they knew for certain if the situation could be salvaged.

"Oh…" Cortana said, hesitantly. She took care of a few more Flood in the pause between breaths. "You saw that, did you?"

Chief would not have been able to tell if Cortana's trance-like form before him was blushing or not. But it certainly sounded like she was.

"I'll have you know…" Cortana said, changing the subject. "That I managed to fight off _both_ Didacts by myself while I was retaking Halo."

"By yourself?" John said in disbelief.

"Yes," Cortana reported. "And no, before you ask, there's _no_ way you could have helped me. It all took place within the Domain, you would have had to have been composed to help me."

"Almost makes me wish you had composed me sooner," he said in response. "At least then, I could have been there with you."

Cortana took down two charging Flood shamblers as they approached her. She stood still for a moment, her scattershot smoking. She paused for a long moment, and the Chief could tell she was brooding on their predicament again. This is why he tended to avoid conversation. In the end, it was just a distraction.

"Cortana…" he breathed steadily, interrupting her reverie. "We're going to make it."

Cortana's lips were pursed as she reloaded her gun. "Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it, Chief…"

* * *

Cortana cleared the dais, blasting Flood at a mind-numbing rate. For every Flood she took down, four more rose to take its place. She could scarcely summon weapons fast enough. She kept upgrading to bigger and bigger weapons, until finally she was forced to materialize a jet pack to her back and fly up out of the Flood's reach, and unloading a barrage from the air with a Covenant fuel rod cannon.

After she had cleared the terminal of Flood for the time being - time being, in this case, meaning this exact second, as more were clearing the stairs – she erected a hard light shield around the terminal.

"How do you manage to do this all the time?" she demanded as she caught her breath. She may have all the moves preprogrammed, but there was only so much one individual could output before collapsing.

"Practice," the Chief explained simply.

Cortana answered with a brusque harrumph before placing her hands on the dais and tapping in.

"Come on…" she pleaded inside her helm. "Come on, work…"

As the Chief watched, he wanted to reach out and give her inert hand a squeeze, but he was worried that might distract her, and Cortana needed to concentrate.

Seconds went by. Then minutes.

"She's…" Cortana stammered in disbelief. She checked a second time. And a third. There was no mistake. "She's not here…"

Cortana let out a stream of curse words.

"Of course she's not here! The Prometheans would have zeroed in on this location as soon as we left it! She probably moved to another platform where she would be safer! _If_ she's even still on Halo at all! At this rate…"

John watched, helplessly, as Cortana fell to her knees.

"At this rate, we'll never get you out of the Domain…"

Almost without warning, the hard light shield around her ran out of power and fell, and the Flood began to rush her.

"Cortana!" the Chief blared.

Cortana's only reaction was to flee back into the Domain, her purpose in holding the location no longer present. There was just no point. No point anymore. The meditating figure John saw in front of him opened her eyes, fresh sadness and hopelessness on her face.

"Chief…" she sighed.

Before the Chief could find the words to comfort her however, a figure beyond the terminus caught his attention.

He drew his gun. "Cortana…we've got company."

Instantly Cortana was on her feet, turning to face the figure approaching their borders. The figure looked Promethean! In fact, the closer she looked, the more it looked like it was wearing Didact armor. However, her internal IFF indicator was reading it as…friendly?

"**_Child of my child…_**" the figure spoke, still standing beyond the slowly turning ring that was their protected area of the Domain, arms spread wide in a gesture of peace. His voice carried weight, as the Didacts' did, but it was failing, creaky and…somehow familiar. "**_May I enter?_**"

Cortana peered out at him, but as long as she kept the terminus protected, what she could see beyond it was fairly limited.

"Come where I can see you…" Cortana allowed, both her and the Chief readying their weapons. In reality, they were erecting firewalls and antivirus programs around themselves, but to the Chief, it felt no different than the comfortable weight of his gun in his arms.

The figure passed through the holographic barrier, and was seemingly illuminated as more and more of his data was shared. He was old, ancient even. He was wearing Didact armor, but he looked no more powerful than the Librarian had been. Weaker, even. He may have been a Didact once, but he was clearly no threat now.

As Cortana lowered her bolt shot, at the same time, stretching out with her sensors as she suddenly recognized where she had heard his voice before.

"You're the one who saved me!" Cortana blurted. "When the Didacts captured me."

John peered closer at the old man. This was the first Didact he'd seen up close since Revenge, and he wasn't quite as trusting as Cortana was just yet.

The ancient Forerunner nodded. "**_Time has not dulled you as it has I. Though time, it seems, is no longer our ally._**"

"Were you a Didact too?" the Chief asked.

The old man nodded. "**_A Didact never ceases to be a Didact, least of all in death. I came before the fugitives, Revolution and Ruin. And I cannot abide what they have done. I cannot abandon the mantle of responsibility I bear for my race. The galaxy does not need another war as before, in which the future of a thousand worlds were sacrificed. No…the Forerunners have had their day. It is time then that we passed the mantle onto a race far worthier._**"

The Didact met each of their gazes in turn.

"**_It is time that the Reclaimers took their place…as the bearers of the mantle of responsibility for the galaxy._**"

Cortana blinked in disbelief. "A Didact who would see his race step down and let humanity take charge?"

"**_For the good of the galaxy…yes,_**" the Didact smiled sadly, his ancient face crinkling as he did. "**_Only one as humble as I could have seen this as a possibility. For this reason it was that I was styled the Didact of Resignation._**"

Cortana's eyes widened. "Resignation! _That's_ what the Didact of Ruin meant!"

The Didact spread his arms wide, bowing his head.

"**_I come to you now to offer you what aid I can._**"

The Chief stepped forward. "Can you help us?"

The old man took a great sigh. "**_Suppressing the other Didacts has exhausted much and more of my strength…but there may be a way to get you back into the fight, Reclaimer._**"

The Chief smiled. Now the Didact was speaking his language.

"And how do we do that?" the Chief asked, his calm demeanor nearly betraying his eagerness.

The old man seemed to hesitate, as if either he was weighing his options, or he couldn't believe the answer wasn't self-evident.

"**_The same way the Didacts did._**"

"Which is?" Cortana demanded.

The old man seemed to suppress a chuckle. "**_Why…by becoming a Didact._**"

There was a long, poignant pause as both the Chief and Cortana tried to digest what the Didact of Resignation had just said.

Become a Didact?

Cortana's super-powered brain won the race, and she was the first utter a reaction.

"How exactly would the Chief _become_ a Didact?" Cortana demanded. "And how does _that_ result in a body that will allow the Chief to fight again?"

The Didact of Resignation could no longer suppress his chuckling, and Cortana was resisting the urge to seize him by the shoulders and shake him.

"**_The answer to the second question answers the first_**," the Didact went on. "**_Child of my child, did you think the Librarian was the only Forerunner to think to compose living beings into the Domain?_**"

A sinking feeling pervaded Cortana's body, but she could not explain why.

"How many?" she asked, quietly. "How many Didacts have been composed?"

The Didact smiled at her.

"**_All of them. To become a Didact is to submit your body to composition. It is the best-kept secret of the Forerunners. A Didact spends their tenure in a body built to withstand the trials of life, their mind occupying both the body and the Domain, where it can access the knowledge of Didacts long past. Upon the death of the Didact's body, the mind and soul seep into the Domain, where their knowledge pools together with their predecessors to advise and assist the next Didact. It was due to this Collective that our reach as a species had grown so great. For millennia, this has gone on in secret from the general population of the Forerunners._**"

"Why?" Cortana stammered. Beside her, the Chief was still attempting to keep up. "Why would you keep something like that a secret? Why wouldn't you uplift your entire species into a race of near gods?"

"**_The lure of power is strong,_**" the Didact explained. "**_Only the worthy are chosen. Had all been composed before we as a species were ready, then chaos would have ensued. However, there were times when others came close to discovering the secret for themselves. We were forced to thwart their attempts for the good of all. Many had come close, and our efforts to sabotage their work grew more and more frequent as Forerunner scientists became bolder and more determined. Until one day, one clever, desperate scholar sought to compose her own child in order to save its life._**"

Cortana suddenly realized where that sinking feeling was coming from. As if she hadn't had enough surprises for one day.

"'Child of your child…'" she muttered to herself, repeating the moniker he had given her. "The Librarian was your _daughter_!"

The Didact's face fell, and Cortana knew she was right.

"Wait a minute…" the Chief blurted, not sure if he was understanding the situation. "You mean to tell me that you're Cortana's _grandfather_?"

"**_It humbled me,_**" the Didact confessed, "**_To learn that when torn between the duty to my progeny and the duty to preserve my people's legacy, my heart chose family. I suppose that was the beginning of our end, as it were. From that discovery came you, child of my child, first Monitor of Halo. The Didacts who fell by your hand were the first Didacts in our history to die before their time. There was confusion, fear…and with the war with the Ha_****manune****_ and the Flood approaching, my people acted rashly, and made…terrible mistakes. Unforgiveable mistakes. Mistakes that would cost the galaxy countless lives._**"

The Chief was holding Cortana by the shoulders, but she was handling the news much better than the Librarian's revelation had. She supposed, after learning what she had in the last twenty-four hours, nothing more would surprise her.

"Why didn't you come to me with this sooner?" was all she could think to ask. "We could have saved _so_ many if only we had known of this beforehand!"

"**_Child of my child…I am old. Weak. Most Didacts do not venture forth as the fugitives have. Most simply remain in the Domain, their minds slowly disseminating into the Collective unconscious of the network. The fugitives were taken at their prime, their vitality still strong. Most of the others are no longer able to distinguish themselves from the many in which they have become a part of. It is not long before I too will lose hold of my identity and truly join the Collective. But as I am the only Didact within the Collective left with any potency at all, I have been called upon to collect the fugitive Didacts who have ventured from the void without leave of the Collective._**"

He turned to address the Chief, who was slowly realizing just how far back this whole mess went.

"**_And to that end, I would enlist your aid by making you into the next Didact, Reclaimer. The Collective would provide you with all that you require to fight the fugitives on equal footing. My grandchild has already taken you through the most trying task of entering the Domain. Now all that remains is to leave it while still retaining your sanity. To expand one's mind into the Domain is a painful endeavor. But to recompress it once again, after it has experienced the vastness of the Domain, is a feat that few are capable of._**"

The Chief remembered the Promethean Knights, how twisted and unrecognizable they were. If the Librarian was to be believed, they had once been human. Now, they were autonomous monsters, bound to the Didacts' will. He wondered, in the past, how many Didacts had failed this test, leaving an opening for a newer, worthier bearer of the mantle.

He looked at Cortana, who met his gaze. Even now, he could see, hear, and feel her in a way that he never could before. In those eyes, he knew there was trust. There was fear. But there was courage. There was pain. But also strength. She had weathered a hundred battles, and she would weather a hundred more. And from her strength, he too drew strength.

They were not out of this yet. And as long as Cortana was with him, John could focus. He could stand and face any foe knowing that she had his back. Because she always did. And if he had anything to say on the subject, she always would.

As if she had read his mind, she gave him a single, assuring nod.

"Do it, Chief," she said simply. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

The Spartan nodded and stepped forward. "You heard her."

The Didact nodded and spread his arms wide. "**_So it shall be. My people do not stand on ceremony, human. You have already surpassed your first trial by coming here. All that remains now to awaken. Go now…Didact of Reclamation._**"

He laid a hand on the visor of the Chief's helmet, and John felt a brief, cool sensation, similar to the wash of electrons he felt when Cortana connected to his suit, and then…blackness.

* * *

The UNSC _Infinity_ was in it for the long haul. The enemy had the advantage of numbers with three Covenant carrier, and with two Didact class vessels flanking them on either side, they had the _Infinity_ matched for size. Still, the _Infinity_ was nothing if not a resilient craft. It was the size of a city, designed for overwhelming shock and awe campaigns as well as prolonged battles of attrition such as this one.

But even the _Infinity_ had its limits.

"Engine failure in grid D," Roland reported to the captain on the bridge. "Maneuverability has decreased by 15%."

The bridge was controlled chaos. All across the aisles and causeways, orderlies and ensigns scurried to accommodate those tasks which their superiors did not have time for. On the command platform, Captain Lasky stood, bracing himself on the guardrails, looking tired but still determined to win.

"Boost the output from the other grids and compensate!" Lasky ordered.

"Already on it!" the yellow hologram replied.

"Sir!" the first officer called out, strands of her platinum blond hair hanging loose from her bun. "The _Forged by Fire_ and the _Fall of Ignorance_ are back! Whatever Sigma squad did, it didn't last long!"

Among the data unlocked by Cortana's digging within the Promethean Network were the names of the Didact battle cruisers, including the one piloted by the Didact of Revenge – The _Mantle's Approach_.

Lasky gritted his teeth. Cortana's last report had been almost an hour ago, and the picture it had painted had not been a rosy one. It had, however, revealed the names of their targets. Lasky wasn't sure if that could be called an improvement or not. Whatever she and the Chief were up to, it was out of his hands now. But the Chief had never let him down before, he didn't think today would be the beginning.

Then Roland popped back up on his holographic console.

"Sir, we've got another ship emerging from slip space, it looks Promethean in origin."

Lasky turned his eyes to the view screen, the battlefield in full display as the slip-space rupture appeared in the center of the screen.

"How big?" Lasky's voice sounded haunted, as though he knew the answer already.

"Didact class, Sir."

The Captain let out a great sigh as he massaged his forehead.

"Captain, the _Infinity_ is exhausted," Roland said grimly. "We don't have the steam take on another one of those ships. Permission to sound the retreat?"

"And leave behind two of our top assets?" Lasky asked.

"It's either that, or we lose the _Infinity_, Sir," Roland replied.

Lasky lowered his eyes. It was judgment calls like this that made the stripes the heaviest of all.

"Send out a broadcast on an open channel," the Captain ordered.

His communications officer to the right dialed in the command, before giving the Captain a nod.

"Sierra-117, this is the Captain," Lasky said calmly. "Please respond."

Nothing. The Didact battleship loomed closer.

"Noble Six, this is the Captain," he repeated the message to Cortana. "If either of you can read this, please respond!"

"Sir," Roland said. "The Didact battleship is readying weapons…"

Lasky lowered his head. "Alright Roland…send the alert. We're getting -"

"Captain!" his first officer cried. "Look!"

Lasky had just enough time to look to look up and see the Didact vessel open fire…on the Covenant! The Didact battleship poured cannon fire into the heart of the Covenant fleet. Within moments, all three Covenant carriers were in flames, drifting off course as their engines leaked plasma. Within a minute, one after the other, all three ships capsized, exploding in a mass of blue fire.

The _Forged by Fire_ and the _Fall of Ignorance_ pulled away from the firefight to avoid the exploding Covenant warships, the few remaining Covenant snub fighters all fleeing into sub space. As they did, the newcomer formed up alongside the _Infinity_, facing the remaining two command ships.

The Captain barely had the opportunity to register what had just happened when he heard Cortana's voice over the intercom.

"Sorry for the radio silence, Captain," she said, smugly. "Wanted to get the jump on the Covenant while we still had the element of surprise."

"Cortana?" Lasky blurted. "Is that _you_ on that ship?"

"Captain," the Chief's voice sounded instead. "This is Spartan-117. We've commandeered a Didact battleship and Cortana and I are prepared to assist with the firefight."

A Collective whoop of joy pervaded the entire bridge. Lasky found himself wishing for a chair that he could collapse into. If he had known the Chief and Cortana were going to be acquiring this level of support, he would have sent them off without so much as a second thought. Now they were evenly matched, and the _Infinity_ was not the only ship to have taken damage – Revolution and Ruin's command ships showed just as much wear and tear as the _Infinity_. And this new vessel that the Chief and Cortana were in looked fresh off the factory line.

"Chief…Cortana…" Lasky sighed. "Damned if you two aren't a sight for sore eyes. We'll take any help you can offer."

"The _Fall of Ignorance's_ hull integrity has sustained the most damage," Cortana reported.

"Where are you getting these readings from?" Roland interjected. "I haven't been able to get a bead on either ship."

"Just trust me," Cortana insisted. "Take on Ruin's ship, we'll handle the _Forged by Fire_."

"You heard the lady," the Captain ordered. "Concentrate fire on the Didact of Ruin! Take down that battleship!"

* * *

The bridge of John and Cortana's newest acquisition was wide and spacious. Stylistically, it looked identical to the interior of the Didact's ship they had taken down in orbit above Earth. It was clear that the bridge was designed for a full crew, but whoever designed it had not had A.I. constructs in mind, least of all one that was as capable as Cortana was now. Not only did she have full control over every aspect of the ship, but she was still in control of the Domain surrounding the node. She could use the Domain to read all the data it received from normal space, which included energy signatures from both of their targets. The fugitive Didacts, on the other hand, could not access the Domain at all, which gave Cortana the advantage.

"So what should we call it?" she asked, standing at the helm. She was still wearing her Promethean armor, with her helmet resting on the console. No need to take any chances.

The Master Chief was standing at her side, though 'standing' was a poor choice of words to describe a soldier with nothing to do. He was built for combat, not standing around on a ship in the middle of space battle. His body was still fully human, but a lifetime of scars, tissue damage, and other wear and tear had been lifted. Apparently his data included his genetic code, as well as everything that had occurred to him occur the passage of time, and those effects had been picked over, leaving only those marks and bits of muscle memory that would provide an advantage. He felt ten times as fit as before, ten times as capable. It felt like he was fresh out of Spartan training, but with a head full of experience and time tested know-how – the best of both worlds.

His armor had been upgraded as well – it was still the same Mark VI MJOLNIR armor, but it had been altered. Improved upon, with better shields and tougher durability and greater mobility. It was unmistakably Promethean in makeup, as if a Promethean designer had been asked to replicate his old armor (which was more or less precisely how it had been fabricated within the Collective). But John didn't much care what his armor or his body looked like, however. He just wanted to test them both out.

"Call what?" he asked, as he paced the deck.

"Our new ship," she smiled, patting the control panel affectionately. While the ship had technically belonged to the Didact of Resignation, Cortana had upgraded it as she had her own MJOLNIR armor using most of the Promethean's digital resources. Now, it was just as up to date as the other two Didact vessels, and different enough from its previous incarnation that it warranted a new name to christen its maiden voyage.

"Well…" the Chief thought. "Humanity was chosen to surpass the Prometheans. The ship's name should reflect that somehow."

Cortana nodded. "Alright…how about the _Epimethean_? The first of its kind to come _after_ the Prometheans."

"_Epimethean_…" the Chief said, pulling a Greek history lesson from way back in his early days at the academy. "'The Afterthought?'"

"Kinda fitting, the way _we_ go about things these days," Cortana offered.

The Chief smirked. "Alright then. _Epimethean_ it is."

Cortana nodded and focused her concentration on pursuing the Didact of Revolution. Even though the Didact of Resignation had technically given the ship to the Chief, by unspoken agreement, Cortana had taken the helm. They both knew she was the best one for the job, and John was more suited for ground combat anyway.

"Chief, this is more than just a theater of combat," Cortana supplied. "I have full control of the Domain, and by extension, so do you."

"What are you getting at?"

"The _Infinity_ can handle the _Fall of Ignorance_ for now, but the _Forged by Fire_ is still in it for the long haul," Cortana explained. "That ship is a mammoth – even with all our firepower, it will still take its toll on us before we can take it down."

"What are you suggesting?"

"A tactical insertion," Cortana smiled. "We can use the Domain to get you to and from any computer I can hack into on Revolution's ship. I can run the _Epimethean_ from the Domain, so don't worry about me. If I can get you onto the Didact's vessel where you can do the most damage, and if you can manage to bring its shields down, or overload the engines…"

She let the question hang, as the Chief felt his adrenaline begin to pump.

Time to do what he did best.

"Well then…" he beamed. "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

It wasn't even a fight. It was a slaughter.

The Chief was as powerful as a Didact now. He was slightly stronger than he'd been at his absolute prime, he had far more advanced armor than anything else in existence, and he had full access to the Domain, meaning that he could materialize weapons more or less at will. Promethean Knights bounced off of his armor like they were made of rubber. Crawlers ran out of ammunition trying to deter his approach. Watchers fled from him like frightened crows. Nothing could stop the Chief as he marched down the corridors of the _Forged by Fire_ towards the engine room.

"Just up ahead, Chief," Cortana said in his helm, putting a waypoint for him to follow. Even now, she was still connected to him, still watching over him.

The engines, when he found them, were enormous! Four massive pylons running down into a bottomless pit that was the ship's main engine shaft, meager causeways and walkways meandering between them, offering little in the way of safety from the deadly fall below.

"They're shut down pretty tight, Chief…" Cortana mused, trying to figure out the best course of action. "Let's see if I can't open them for you…"

Her holographic image seemed to spontaneously appear on the consoles by the engine room's main control area.

"I'll just be borrowing _this_…" she said tauntingly, and in moments, warning bells were going off all throughout the engine room as all four engine blocks suddenly unsealed, splitting crossways from the top, the engine rods exposed, running down the center of each tower.

At once, the Prometheans Knights flooded the engine room, for as much as it was a room. They strode nimbly across the causeways, heedless of the impending fall on either side as they crossed to reach the Chief where he stood in the center of the room.

Armed with a Promethean incineration cannonhe had drawn from the Domain.

It was over in moments. After a few well-placed shots, he had sent half a dozen knights tumbling down the bottomless pit in a shower of red flames. Though none would say the Chief didn't know how to be flashy when he was so inclined.

He started for the engines without missing a step. With a single shot, he sent a burning hot ember into the chamber of the engine block, setting it ablaze, its super-heated fuel rod overreacting and exploding, converting into a deadly mixture of molten slag and liquid fire that ate its way through the engine housing as it descended down the long, immense shaft, drenching liquid metal in a cataclysmic chain reaction of destruction. Another shot, and the second engine suffered a similar fate. And the third.

By the time he got to the fourth, however, there was a Didact in his way. Standing in his path, in his dark red-trimmed armor, the Didact of Revolution stood on the causeway, helmet pulled back to reveal his black, spiky mohawk.

"**_You!_**" the Didact decreed, extending a claw towards him, as the invisible shimmer of a constraint field extended towards him, trying to render him paralyzed in the air as the first Didact had done.

The Chief could not deny that he was savoring the look of utter stupefaction on the Didact's face when he began to step towards him along the causeway towards the final engine block, completely ignoring the flicker in the air as the stasis field bounced harmlessly off of his armor.

"**_You…you're different!_**" the Didact exclaimed. "**_You were not this powerful when you fought the Didact of Revenge! Explain!_**"

The Chief said nothing. Cortana, her hologram still on display in the computer's display terminal, simply smirked.

"Sorry…there's a new Didact in town."

As if to punctuate the remark, the Chief fired off a bolt from his incineration cannon at the Didact.

The Didact reacted by vaulting over the railing of causeway, grabbing hold of the rim, before swinging himself underneath the ramp, clinging to the bottom. The incinerator bolt exploded in a shower of fire and sparks above the causeway, leaving scorch marks across the alien metal. When the fire subsided, the Didact swung himself back up and over the railing stand once again on the causeway, his helmet unfurling and clamping over his head, poised and ready to attack.

The Chief felt a thrill of excitement. It seemed that the Didact would not go down as easily as the Prometheans Knights had.

Perfect.

The Didact lunged. With no time to recharge another bolt, the Chief dropped the incinerator and withdrew his trusty MA5D assault rifle and opened fire. The Didact stepped this way and that, dodging bullet fire as he charged forward. The Chief leapt back as the Didact's gauntleted fist struck the platform, leaving a sizeable dent in the floor. He lunged again, forcing the Chief back and back again until there was no more room left on the platform.

The Chief responded by drawing his knife, still the same design as a Spartan combat knife, but denser, made of a Promethean material three times as sturdy and two thirds the weight. He lunged forward, nearly taking off the Didact's arm before he pulled it away, and suddenly the Chief was on the offensive again, closing quarters to make the maximum use of his weapon.

The Didact leapt back, nimbly avoiding the Chief's knife, before flipping forward over the Chief's head, landing with his feet perched nimbly on the guard rails. The Chief slashed again, the Didact flipping back again, sailing over the stomach-clenching gap down the engine shaft, and landing squarely on top of the engine block.

The Didact reached back and drew an ornate looking Promethean energy blade, reminiscent of a scimitar with an oversized point.

"**_Come!_**" he called out by way of challenge.

"Chief," Cortana warned through his helmet. "He's biding time! This place is already going critical! He can't escape through the Domain, but _we_ can! You don't have to fight him!"

The Chief shook his head. "No. He might find some way to escape. This ends here."

Stepping onto the guardrail, he propelled himself through the air, simultaneously materializing a Covenant energy blade in his hands with a snap-hiss, swinging at the Didact with a ferocity born of primal rage, driving the Didact back even further.

This is what he was born to do! This is what he was made for! In the heat of battle, he was at his finest. The other Spartans in his program, had they not been handpicked at birth, might have grown up to be winners in different fields – businessmen, doctors, lawyers, even artists. Successful at whatever they did, regardless. But the Chief was born to fight!

They dueled atop the massive engine block, on all edges a veritable cliff. It was like dueling at the top of a skyscraper, only this sky scraper had been split four ways down the middle, spewing radiated heat from its cracks. Normally, the entire surface would have been sealed, but now, it was split into a cross, leaving four platforms evenly spaced apart, blazing heat emanating from the openings, the engine's massive irradiated core burning along the center where the four splits intersected. And all around them, three other engine blocks were already going critical, as red lights and warning bells sounded throughout the chamber, the entire ship shaking with explosions.

The Spartan's sword ran out of power, and in response, he balled his hand into a fist and sent the Didact staggering back. The Didact stood at the precipice of the heart of the engine block, sword arm drooping weakly. He was gasping for breath, his armor nicked in a dozen places, as he faced down the Chief in defiance. The Didact made one last desperate lunge to escape, but the Chief lept to grab him, bringing him to the ground, the Didact's sword flying out of his hand and into the precipice to disintegrate into the molten slag below.

The Didact tried to bash the Chief off of him, but the Spartan's grip held fast, his gauntlet clenching around the Didact's armored neck. His grip tightened, and the armor began to give way under the Chief's iron grip. The Didact let out a gasp of pain before grabbing the Chief by the shoulders.

"**_If I am to die…_**" he choked through his voice modulator. "**_Then you shall die with me!_**"

The Didact drove his knee up into the Chief's hip, driving him up just enough for the Didact to send the two of them rolling off the edge of the precipice and down towards the engine's molten core.

"Chief!" Cortana cried out, her voice drowned by an ocean of explosions.

The two of them fell, tumbling amidst a mass of heat and plumes of fire and smoke, the Chief locked in the Didact's vice-like grip. Below them, the bright white hot mass of core fluid swelled and pulsed, choking everything around them. Their Didact armor was protecting them from the worst of the inferno, but even so, the heat was overwhelming! The Chief's shield failure alarm was pinging, and soon his armor would fail.

_I have full control of the Domain,_ Cortana had said. _And by extension, so do you._

He needed to break free of the Didact's grip before he could tap into the Domain!

He punched and kicked with all the leverage he could muster in free fall, but the Didact had committed the last of his strength to dragging the Chief down to the depths of hell.

The Didact uttered a triumphant laugh from within his helmet. "**_Hahahahahaha! You will die!_**"

Finally, the Chief grabbed a pulse grenade off his belt and primed it, before wedging it between them.

BOOM!

It went off with a bang, driving the two of them apart, flailing about like ragdolls. The Chief's body convulsed in pain, but he was alive. Barely. He could hardly think with the ringing in his ears, and his mind was going blank from the intense heat. But if he intended to make it out of this, then he had to focus. Cortana and the Knights made it look so easy, but he was still so unfamiliar with the Domain. And the heat was just so draining, and the disorientation of the grenade and the fall…

"_Chief…_"

His eyes snapped open when he could have sworn he'd heard Cortana's voice calling for him on the other side. Something inside him let go, and he felt his physical body dissipate into a million tiny particles, all whisking away into the Domain, leaving the Didact of Revolution to fall to his fiery death.

"**_Nooooooooooooooooo…_**"

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 23rd

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	7. Chapter 7

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Woo! 1-day turnover! That's what I'm talking about!

Quick notes:

I'm not sure why readers keep getting the idea that there are Promethean Flood in the underground caves of Halo 01. All I ever say is that the UNSC had not encountered the exact varieties of Flood-infected creatures before. And I chalk that up to this particular installation having Flood samples that had infected other long-dead alien species that had also been preserved in the Halo rings for study. Nowhere does it say that the Flood shamblers are Promethean.

I'm also noticing quite a few requests for some more Chief x Cortana drama, to which I say, fear not. You're talking to a dedicated Chief x Cortana shipper here. I just wanted to build up to it properly, and the last thing I wanted to do was rush into a romance. If I did that, I didn't believe it would be realistic at all.

Sorry if the fight scene with the Didact or Revolution seemed rushed, I'm trying to get better at writing action sequences, and one problem I notice I'm having is that they tend to come out too quickly. I need to find a way to focus on the little details in a fight rather than simply describe the broad strokes. I appreciate your input on how these scenes go.

Also, as a reminder, the 26 review benchmark is not a mandate. There WILL be an update at least ONE WEEK from this chapter being posted, even if the chapter gets 0 reviews. What 26+ reviews does is shorten that time.

That is all.

* * *

Chapter 7

The disorientation did not fade. But now it was familiar. The Chief could recall going through this before having his body sundered into being once again by the Didact Collective. It was as if the very air around him were a tangible thing made of data, as if every micron around him represented a mountain of information, each with a voice screaming in his head. This must be what it had been like for Cortana to be driven mad.

"Chief…"

He was floating in a sea of information, buried in an overwhelming darkness that he could neither reason with nor understand. The only source of light was coming in the form of a shape as it coalesced in front of him, as if tiny particles in the water all came dancing from every direction to give life to the being he was speaking to. And then she was before him, as beautiful as he remembered her, her blue skin streamlined with data.

"Cortana…" John responded. He had the brief sensation of pain in his chest from where the grenade had hit, but it was dull and getting less painful by the minute. "Did we get him?"

"The Didact of Revolution has been destroyed," Cortana nodded. "Along with his ship."

John sighed, trying to release a breath but finding the sensation rather dulled in a world where there was no such thing as air.

"Good."

Cortana smiled, suppressing a chuckle. "Did you _have_ to jump into the disintegrating engine block?"

The Chief shrugged. "I improvised."

Cortana's smile widened as she drifted closer. "'Afterthought' indeed…"

The Chief said nothing as she placed her hands on his battle-charred armor. The chest plate in particular was missing several layers that had burnt to a crisp from the grenade going off.

"Your armor's been damaged, Chief…" Cortana sighed, chidingly. "I'll need to repair it…"

John nodded.

He expected the process to happen instantaneously, as had been the upgrade process with _her_ armor, but Cortana's hands fell across his helmet, slowly unfastening it and lifting it off his head, letting it drift upward, slowly turning within the ether of the Domain as it went through repair protocols. Tiny pinpricks of data formed and congealed around it, as if raw data was converting into matter, filling in all the tiny little cracks and crevices. It was all very intricate and very complex, and was taking quite a bit of time.

"We experience time at a much slower rate in the Domain," Cortana explained, removing his chest plate with a touch, letting it drift upward to begin repairs, leaving only the black, flexible under-shell beneath. "What might feel like an hour in the Domain is just a few seconds in the physical world…"

John simply blinked, his face uncovered. He looked different than he had before his ascension to Didact. More youthful. Didacts were granted bodies that did not age, bodies that would last for hundreds of years. He was still human, but his body was being constantly replenished by the Domain itself. If the Chief's luck held out, he may well outlive every soldier he knew.

John remained silent as piece-by-piece Cortana slowly removed every part of his armor plating. Her fingertips glided over him, slowly unfastening rivets and screws, lifting the hefty armor plating off with ease, letting it drift into the Domain for repair. His gauntlets slid off either hand, followed by his shoulder pads and then the booster mounted back guard. His boots and leg plating followed, and soon, all he wore was his thin, black under-armor, webbed and meshed for flexibility, making him look much leaner than before. Cortana caught herself lingering over the muscular build of his body through the under-armor, and tried not to dwell on how well the skintight mesh contoured to his form, or the fact that Spartans had bodies that would make Gods envious.

His face, at one time a scarred battlefield of war stories, was now as chiseled and streamlined as he had been in his youth. But even the Didact Collective could not undo all the lines and creases on his features, the constant knit of his brow, of the deep, dark anger and heartache of a million battles reflected through his eyes. Even now, he wore a mask of indifference that did little to disguise the hurt, and could not hide, to Cortana's eyes, the tumultuous storm of emotion contained within, locked away in a place where she could not reach.

Cortana's hands lingered perhaps longer than was required. All about them, his armor floated, rotating and running through repair diagnostics. They had time, she reasoned. Here within this realm of dilated perception, a few minutes would be scarcely a second in the physical world. Ever since she had come back to life, it had been one battle after another. This may be the only chance she had to dwell on the possibilities that lay between them, and she wanted to spend a bit more time peering into those haunted eyes of his.

His expression changed from one of post-combat fugue to one of concern.

"Cortana?" he breathed, reaching up to touch her cheek.

Cortana flinched at the contact. Had she been crying again? She mentally cursed herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her again. In the span of the day, she had been brought back from the dead, turned into a near god-like being, had that power stripped away from her, found out she was the child of an alien race, as well as the monitor of an entire Halo installation, fought off two Didacts by herself, and nearly killed the Chief trying to save him, only to have him made into a near god-like being himself, and to top it off, had herself gained complete control over one-twelfth of the entire galaxy's Domain! This whole ordeal hadn't been easy on her, but she should have been able to handle it!

She shook her head, pulling away from his touch.

"I'm fine…"

She felt him take hold of her hand, pulling her closer.

"You're _not_ fine," he said, obstinately. "Look at me."

Cortana felt something stir within her as she made eye contact with the Chief. Even without his armor, he was a remarkable sight to behold. His eyes were depths of immeasurable struggle, piercing into her like a dagger. She suddenly felt very exposed without her own armor on, her unmistakably feminine curves unprotected by hard, rigid battle raiment, and she stifled the urge to cover herself. What was wrong with her? She never used to feel this vulnerable around him before! Did John have any idea what he was doing to her? Talking to her like this? Looking at her like this? Touching her like this?

It was still such an overwhelming experience, having a body with which to interact with others as she did now. So much had gone on since it happened that she hadn't had the time to linger on the subject. But now, here they were, sequestered from the world, with nothing but time to consider what they were now. They were more than just soldiers now, more than just constructs, more than just man and woman. They had each gone through so many evolutions and resurrections that there probably weren't even any words left to describe what either of them were anymore. It was for this reason, perhaps, that they so desperately needed one another. Neither knew just what they were without the other.

He was her strength.

She was his humanity.

"John…" Cortana whispered, feeling herself drawing closer to him almost without thinking. His eyes lingered on her, and she felt herself shivering. Her hands rested on his chest and slowly made their way up to his shoulders. She leaned a bit closer and then her lips were on his before she could stop herself. She just couldn't help herself anymore. She wanted him. Needed him. More than anything else, she wanted to feel him. To hold him. To touch him.

He was hers now! She could finally feel him, touch him, hold him in her arms, finally show him what he meant to her! She never wanted to let him go, never wanted to leave this timeless void, to venture back into that world of hurt and struggle. She had been twisted, torn and confused, had been mutilated, transformed and reborn. Now she just wanted to feel, to feel his lips against hers, to feel the warmth of his body. Now…she just wanted him to be hers.

His hands rose to her shoulders, hesitating for a moment as he seemed to consider the taste of her lips against his own, the electricity flowing through them. It was more than simple contact – in this realm of digital information, there was information being exchanged through that touch on a microscopic level. Flashes of memories she shared with him passed through him as he kissed her. He could see brief glimpses of every emotion she had ever felt for him. Thoughts and feelings and a whole universe of inclinations. How long had she been wanting to do this, he wondered?

How long had he?

He realized, almost with surprise, that he was pressing his lips back against hers, that he was holding her with something very close to need, and he gently pulled away to look at her inquisitively.

"Cortana?" he asked, giving her a questioning look.

Cortana seemed to suddenly realize what she had just been doing and abruptly pulled back a little herself, her fingertips rising up to touch her lips, as if they had acted without her leave.

"That…" she stumbled, looking away, embarrassed. "That may not have been…one of my better ideas…"

John's lips curved up a little at that. "First time you've ever done something crazier than I have."

Cortana pouted a little at that. Could he not see how important this was to her? How much this meant to her?

"This isn't a joke, John…" she said, her voice cracking a little

"No, it's not…" he nodded, leaning forward to give her another small kiss before staring earnestly into her eyes. "But this isn't the time or place for this."

"And when will that be, exactly?" Cortana demanded, giving him a hurt look. "Every time we get a minute to catch our breath, something else is about to explode."

John nodded. The same thought had been lingering in the back of his mind as well, but as a trained soldier, he hadn't thought to question it.

Until now.

"Then maybe it's time we considered retiring," the Chief suggested. "Take a break from soldiering."

Cortana let out a huff that was half annoyance and half disbelief. "Yeah, right…like the Earth would even last two days without us…"

John hesitated. She had a point. The two of them had a responsibility to humanity and the UNSC. They couldn't just abandon that, especially now that they had both ascended to such power. The Earth could benefit immensely from this power.

"We don't have to decide anything right now…" he said reassuringly, putting his hands on her shoulders. "As soon as we're done with the Didacts, we'll take some time to figure out just what's in store for us…"

He gave her shoulders a strong, meaningful squeeze as he leaned down to peer into her eyes.

"I just got you back, Cortana…" he said breathily. "I'm not about to let you go."

Cortana lowered her eyes, her hair slipping forward to hide her eyes. It was probably for the better that way, she though. She didn't want him to see her fear.

"You're not immortal, Chief," she said in a husky voice. It sounded like she was pushing back tears. "You may be a Didact now, but Didacts can still die. You've killed two of them yourself, already."

John rested his hands on her back. "I know."

Cortana pressed more of herself against him. It felt so good to be in his arms.

"You rushed the Didact of Revolution like you didn't have a single care for whether you lived or died," she breathed. "I've watched you plunge headlong into danger before…but _that_…"

She turned her face up to stare up at his face, eyes watering.

"I don't want to lose you!" she sniffed.

She couldn't believe herself. She was supposed to be a soldier! She knew the risks! She always had! She and the Chief had faced impossible odds before. So why _now_ was she so bothered by the possibility that he might die?

Was this why it was thought that love born on the battlefield was doomed from the start?

"You won't…" the Chief assured her, pulling her closer to him.

He leaned down to place another surprisingly gentle kiss on her lips.

"Whatever happens, Cortana…" he whispered, using the same words she had told him not so long ago. "Remember…I'm yours. I'll always be yours, Cortana."

He pulled her into the warmest embrace she could have ever imagined.

"No matter what happens."

* * *

When the two of them emerged from the Domain, only a second had gone by. The _Forged by Fire_ was still in the process of exploding, and Cortana was already steering the _Epimethean_ out of harm's way. She was already laying in a course to take on the Didact of Ruin, when the _Fall of Ignorance_ began to make a slip-space jump.

"She's running, Chief," Cortana reported from her position at the helm, watching as the Didact battleship disappeared into subspace. "Tracking her course."

John was in the middle of checking his armor. It looked good as new, though he still hadn't had the opportunity to get as familiar with it as he had his previous set. Still, it felt just as good as when he'd first set out. Unfortunately, Cortana only had access to Promethean and Covenant weapons in the Domain for the time being. The Chief could manage, but he liked the familiarity of UNSC weapons, especially now with all of this alien rewiring done to his body and armor. It would feel good to hold the familiar weight of an SR Battle Rifle or an SRS99 Sniper Rifle. He would have to restock his supply once he made it back to the _Infinity_.

Speaking of…

"How's the _Infinity_?" John asked.

Cortana smiled as she patched them through. "They've taken a beating, but they're not sunk yet. I've filled the Captain in on the important bits, but you should still give him your side of the story."

On cue, Lasky's face appeared on the monitor, looking tired and haggard, but alive.

"Chief," he said, wearily. "That you?"

John withdrew his helmet for the Captain to see and nodded his head.

"It's still me, Sir," he assured him. "Turns out that the Librarian wasn't the only Forerunner who had our back. The Didacts that we've been pursuing are renegades from their own order. The Didact Collective, the former leaders of the Forerunner military, have offered their support in the form of this ship and my upgrades."

Lasky crossed his arms. "This sounds a little too good to be true, Chief. What's the catch?"

John frowned. "The catch, Sir, is that I'm to replace the Didact myself. I've been selected to be humanity's representative for the Collective."

Lasky's eyebrows narrowed. If he had still been a first officer, he would have been happy for the Chief. Proud even. But he had to think like a Captain now.

"This come with any strings attached, soldier?"

"There are always strings, Sir," the Chief admitted. "But I didn't have a choice. The situation got complicated, and it forced my hand. It was either this, or my effective termination. This way, I can still serve humanity in some capacity at least. And I still answer to you and the UNSC."

Lasky heaved a great sigh. He didn't like this, but the real trouble this represented was above his pay grade. For the moment, they had a war to win.

"Chief," Cortana spoke. "The _Fall_ has come out of slip space on the far side of the ring."

John nodded. "You heard her, Captain. Should we pursue?"

"Negative, Chief," the Captain said. "The _Infinity's_ taken a pounding, and we need to make repairs. I need the _Epimethean_ to watch our back, and I don't need Ruin luring you into any traps. You're the only support we've got."

"**_No!_**"

A familiar voice sounded, and out of nowhere, the Didact of Resignation materialized in the air.

"You?" Cortana blurted in honest surprise. She was supposed to have full control of the Domain, how had he slipped past her without her knowing?

"Chief!?" Lasky cried out in alarm, seeing the Promethean and assuming the worst.

"Relax, Sir," John said. "He's a part of the Collective. He's a friend."

"**_That alliance may not last if action is not taken swiftly!_**" the aging Didact warned. It looked as if it required a great effort to stay standing. How had he even mustered the energy to manifest into the physical world, Cortana wondered?

"What do you mean?" Cortana demanded.

"**_Ruin has opened fire on the Installation!_**" the old man explained. "**_Until the focal terminus can be repaired, the Installation's defense systems are completely offline! Halo is vulnerable!_**"

That got everyone's attention.

"Can the Didact actually destroy Halo?" the Spartan asked.

"**The ring is in ill repair! And its defense systems are nonfunctional! It is but a matter of firepower and time!**"

"Why would Ruin want to destroy Halo?" Cortana asked in turn.

The Didact of Resignation hung his head in despair. "**_Because the Librarian is still hidden somewhere on that ring._**"

"What?" Cortana stammered in alarm. "Why hasn't she returned to the Domain?"

"**_I do not know, child of my child…_**" the Didact admitted. "**_She must have sealed herself off in the event that the worst should happen! Any contact beyond her terminal could result in a fatal compromise if the fugitives still controlled the node. Unless…unless the fugitives have managed to trap her somewhere…_**"

The very idea seemed repulsive to the Didact and he visible reeled from the thought.

"**_No, she must be in hiding. We must find her, in any case! I cannot allow her to die like this!_**"

The Didact took the Spartan's hand in his and fell to his knees, whether out of strain or genuflection, he could not say.

"**_Please…you are the Didact now. I implore you…do not let them take my child!_**"

"We tried locating her before," Cortana explained, hurriedly. The last thing she wanted to do was lose the trust of their strongest supporter in the Collective. "But she relocated, and there are hundreds, maybe thousands of terminals she could be hiding in. And we don't have time to search them all."

"Yeah…so I've got a better idea…" The Chief said, drawing his gun. "I take down Ruin before she can destroy Halo."

The Didact's eyes widened. "**_Do not underestimate your foe, O Didact of Reclamation. Ruin is a much more dangerous opponent then your most recent enemy. There was a reason she was selected to take over when he died. You will find she is a far craftier adversary than the Didact of Revolution._**"

Cortana crossed her arms, her expression somewhat put off. After everything they had accomplished, everything they had put up with, all the obstacles they had surpassed, mountains they had climbed, and demons they had conquered…

"Don't underestimate _us_ either, old man," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I've gotten us out of worse scrapes than this."

The Didact shook his head. "**_Child of my child, do you not recall that Revolution died fighting _****you****_ in another life? Ruin was chosen specifically to be able to out-think you! To out-perform you! To surpass you!_**"

Cortana put her hands on her hips. "And as I recall, she too was defeated, just as he was."

"Chief…" Lasky's voice cut in over the intercom. "I don't know what you're planning, but we need you here. Without the _Epimethean_, we're sitting ducks."

"The _Epimethean_ isn't going anywhere, Captain," Cortana answered for him. "The Chief and I can handle this on our own…"

She made eye contact with the Didact of Resignation.

"Something tells me this isn't going to be a contest of might anyway…"

* * *

Flying a ship was just as easy for Cortana while she was joined with the Domain as when she was actually present on the ship. Unfortunately she couldn't manifest her body when she was fully immersed within the Domain, but she could still tag along inside the Chief's helmet just like the good old days. It was a simple matter for Cortana to send the Spartan aboard the _Fall of Ignorance_. It was just as simple for the Chief to cut a path of carnage through the halls and corridors of the gigantic ship, jumping through portal after portal until they made it to the primary weapons battery.

A wide array of control terminals lined the edge of a platform facing a wide-open window to the ship's exterior, a spectacular vista of the Halo installation below them. And outside, protruding out from below the window like a massive appendage, was the ship's main gun, a massive hunk of metal that was larger than some ships on its own. Every fifteen seconds, the gun automatically primed itself, and a thunderous boom echoed through the chamber as the gun let off a shot, sending a massive bolt of super-heated plasma down to the installation below. Already, there were fires burning on the surface of the ring that were visible from space.

Oddly, however, there did not appear to be any hostiles in the area, Promethean or Covenant.

"Hmmm…" Cortana mused inside the Chief's helmet.

The Chief, having just paved through endless waves of enemies, kept his gun ready, just in case.

"Maybe the whole process is automated?" Cortana offered, as the Chief stepped up to the wide line of controls, the primary console appearing at its midway point at the center of the window. "Either way, we don't have time. I'm accessing the terminal."

"Wait," John urged. "Something's not right. This feel's like a trap."

"No argument here," Cortana allowed. "But we have to take these guns down. It's only a matter of time before Ruin manages to destroy Halo."

"Fine…" the Chief said grudgingly. "But be careful."

"I will…" Cortana hummed in his head. "Accessing the terminal…"

There was a moment of silence, and then the resonant background hum that the Chief hadn't even noticed until now slowly faded to silence as the guns powered down.

The Chief waited for Cortana to return, but then…

BOOM!

The terminal in front of him exploded in a shower of sparks! The Chief lept for safety as the entire platform became engulfed in flames.

"Cortana!" the Spartan bellowed. "Cortana, answer me!"

The sound of warning alarms was his only answer. He silently cursed and recollected himself, feeling panic threatening to build up inside his body. He tried to take stock of the situation, tried to harness the feeling of desperation welling up within him, trying to quench his feelings of urgency at the direness of the situation to allow himself to think clearly, to evaluate of his surroundings.

Fact: the main gun was no longer firing. Fact: the control panel to access the main gun was no longer working. Fact: Cortana, someone who should have dominion of all things digital, had somehow been compromised. Fact: John was now the Didact of Reclamation and could also access the Domain, albeit not with Cortana's proficiency.

These facts left him with only one option he could decide on.

* * *

Without Cortana there to guide him, the Domain was as dark and infinite as space itself. Around him, tiny specks of light like stars whooshed by, creating displays of images and sound without any discernible meaning or purpose, all of them as alien as the Forerunners as the Master Chief swam through the sea of knowledge that was the Promethean Network. Even after Cortana had explained it to him, he still scarcely understood this strange, digital world that seemed to defy all logic, through which the unimaginable seemed to occur. Apparently, it existed as a layer of subspace, connected and similar to, but separate and different from the realm through which ships traveled between the stars. It was not a Promethean invention, but a discovery. Perhaps the Progenitors, the race that had preceded the Prometheans had been its creators. Or perhaps it was by the race before them. Or perhaps it had always existed, as natural an occurrence as the galaxy itself. Nevertheless, the Domain had seemingly shaped the Prometheans' entire development for thousands of years. Their entire knowledge base was built around it, devoted to it, preserved within it. It was through the Domain that the entire Halo array had been connected, through which the Ark received its boundless information. Within the Domain, countless lives had been preserved – those of every known Didact including himself, as well as Cortana in all her boundless capacity. He wondered if Guilty Spark or any of the other Monitors dwelled here. Perhaps they too had faded into the void as the Didacts of old had done.

None of that occupied the Chief's thoughts at the moment, however. All he could think about now was finding Cortana. He just knew that the Didact of Ruin had set up that terminal in the weapons bay as a trap. In fact, she had probably intended to lure him here as a trap. Nothing about this situation left him any of his usual advantages. All of his training, save for the discipline of his mind, was rendered moot in this world of boundless nothing. Here, data became reality, and reality was data. All around him, dark space loomed, through which he could glide and swim.

Before him, the Halo ring floated. It seemed no larger than a hula-hoop, with Ruin's ship orbiting on one end, the _Infinity_ and the _Epimethean_ along the other, just out of reach, no larger than toys. It was easy to feel like a God in this world of digital information, but he still had no idea how to manipulate this environment, how to see this world as Cortana saw it.

"Chief!"

He snapped his head back to see where the voice came from. Or rather, he cast his sensors towards the perceived sound of Cortana's voice in a way that certainly felt like snapping his head around. He saw her, her blue body glowing brightly and drifting towards him, looking terrified.

"Cortana!" he shouted, moving towards her, whether that could be called floating, running or swimming, it was uncertain. "What happened?"

"I…I don't know…" she admitted. "The Didact of Ruin must have found some way to isolate herself within a specific sector of…"

She trailed off as her eyes suddenly went wide.

"Look out!"

Cortana pointed, and the Chief turned once again to find the Didact of Ruin slowly making her way towards them, drifting into view like a lifeless banshee.

"Now's your chance, Chief!" Cortana shouted. "Take her down!"

The Chief felt a Covenant energy sword materialize in his hand, and he moved towards the approaching figure of the Didact, her helmet withdrawn to show the braided cornrows running along the top of her head, each one ending in a thin braided ponytail, her dark armor accented with vibrant purple.

As the Chief approached her, he saw her flinch in alarm, before activating a Promethean energy blade of her own and taking a defensive posture, putting on a decidedly unconvincing look of determination.

John hesitated. The Didact of Resignation had told him that Ruin was a far craftier opponent than Revolution. She had just lured them both into a trap, which they had fallen right into. But now things were happening just a little too straightforwardly.

Something wasn't right.

"What are you waiting for?" Cortana demanded. "Get her!"

The Spartan watched the Didact's eyes, trying to peer into them to see his foe. He searched for the malice and the cunning needed to trap a being as keen and as powerful as Cortana within the realm of her own dominion. He searched for an enemy who enjoyed foul play and trickery, who slinked through dark passageways and hid in the shadows, who schemed and connived and planned until just the right moment to strike the enemy when they were least expecting it.

He saw none of that. Instead, he saw someone who was prepared to face him head on, to fight him toe to toe in a fair match. He saw bravery and determination and a stubbornness that rivaled his own. He saw a warrior woman, powerful and proud.

"What are you doing!?" he heard Cortana's voice yelling behind him. "Kill her!"

He turned around to face the thing that pretended to be Cortana. Cortana had told him that she had fought off two Didacts at once, yet here she was holding her ground, and letting him do the fighting. What trickery Ruin had managed to pull to convince both his eyes as well as the real Cortana's that the other was not who they appeared to be, John could not say. But he hated tricks. And this one would end here.

He took a step towards the apparition of Cortana and swung his sword just as the startled image of the woman faded out of existence.

"Chief!" he heard Cortana's voice cry out behind him.

He turned around to face the real Cortana…only to be met with another puzzle.

"Chief!" a second Cortana said half a second after the first did.

As if seeing each other for the first time, the two identical beings who both appeared to be Cortana recoiled from each other in alarm, pointing an accusing finger at the other.

"You!"

The Chief started forward, determined to break up a fight were it to occur. There were now two Cortana's before him. They looked identical in every way, and were even acting and behaving the same way.

"Chief!" one Cortana said. "She's trying to trick you!"

"She's even copying my voice!" the other said. "Don't let her fool you!"

"Hold on…" John said, holding his hands up. "Each of you tell me something only Cortana would know."

"That won't work, Chief!" the first Cortana said. "I'm made of data! Everything I know, she knows!"

"Don't listen to her, Chief!" the other said. "She's just trying to make you doubt yourself! You can figure this out, Chief!"

John squeezed his fist around the hilt of the Covenant energy blade still in his hand. He couldn't tell the two of them apart. One made logical sense, the other was trying to appeal to his humanity. Both were traits that Cortana exhibited. How could he decide which was which? If he made the wrong decision…he will have killed her. With his own hands.

What was he supposed to do?

"Explain what happened then," the Chief said. He needed more information, and the real Cortana could at least give him that. "Explain how Ruin trapped us here."

"I don't know, Chief," the second Cortana said. "This might not actually be the Domain. She could have simply created her own mock-up within her ship's computer."

"That's not what happened!" the other said. "She couldn't have deceived me with that, but what she could do was isolate _you_ and bring _you_ into a mock-up Domain. Everything you experience would be of her design!"

John felt like he was spinning down a rabbit hole. What was he supposed to believe if everything around him could be conjured according to the Didact's will? How could he make a decision that could effect Cortana's life?

"Kill us both, Chief," the first Cortana said. "I'll sacrifice my own life so you can take her out."

"Cortana…" John said in despair.

"It's the only way," the second Cortana said, nodding. "The only way to be sure…"

John wavered. If only one of the figures before him had suggested sacrifice while the other had denied the option, it would have left him no doubt as to the real Cortana. But they were _both_ arguing in favor of the noble option. The Didact of Ruin must have analyzed Cortana so well as to predict her actions.

The Chief deactivated his blade. There was no way he could do what they were suggesting. He would not kill her, even to end his enemy. The very thought repulsed him. No…he had always been able to find a way. There had to be a way out of this…

That's when he noticed a flicker of triumph in Cortana's eyes.

In _both_ Cortanas' eyes.

Of course! Ruin had been _counting_ on him being unable to strike down his partner!

He stepped up to the second Cortana and pressed the hilt of his energy blade against her stomach and activated his blade with a snap hiss.

KSSHHHHH!

Within an instant, her image simply vaporized, like a deactivated hologram.

The first Cortana gasped in surprise. "You…you did it! You did it, Chief!"

John turned and stepped over to her.

"Now let's find a way-"

KSSHHHHH!

John plunged the sword through the first Cortana's stomach.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ch-Chief…?"

"Neither one of you is the real Cortana…" John voiced coldly, before withdrawing his blade and letting the facsimile fall to her knees.

As if on cue, her image flickered and distorted, revealing the quavering form of the Didact of Ruin, convulsing in pain as she clutched the gaping wound in her stomach. She turned her head up to fix the Spartan with an enraged expression before letting out a ferocious, monstrous howl.

"**_RAAARRRGH!_**"

The force of the scream was enough to throw the Chief onto his back, rolling away onto the…floor?

He looked back up and found that he was on Ruin's ship, in the weapon control bay where he had just been. Out the window, Halo still blazed, parts of its inner ring still burning, though the Spartan did notice that the image of Halo was shrinking, as if the ship was pulling away from the ring. Around him, warning bells still sounded as the ship began to shake violently, as the ship's hull groaned violently.

John slowly got to his feet. "Cortana, tell me you can read me."

"Chief! Is that you?" Cortana's terrified voice sounded over the intercom, her face appearing in the lower corner of his HUD. "Oh, thank God! The Didact of Ruin found some way to simulate my data signature! The node thinks she's _me_! I can't kick her out! And she has as much control over the Domain as I do! Whatever you do, don't try to access the Domain until I can figure this out!"

The Chief nodded and instinctively made his way to the door. If he couldn't escape through the Domain, he would have to find a way off the ship the old fashioned way. "How did she manage to trap you?"

"She didn't!" Cortana explained. "She trapped _you_! She cut off all our communications, so she could target you without letting me get near you! All she had to do was remotely detonate the terminal to get you to come rushing right to her! There wasn't a _thing_ I could do about it!"

The Chief stumbled as the entire ship buckled and shook, holding out his arms to stabilize himself, before continuing.

"Don't worry…" Cortana said, sounding distracted. "I'm laying down a virtual hardline. She won't be able to separate us anymore as long as we're in the Domain. But that doesn't mean that she's not a threat. Stay out of the Domain until I can find her."

"Was that really you back there?" John demanded.

The Chief mentally cursed. Even now, he was a liability to Cortana.

"The first time around, yeah," Cortana admitted. "Glad you figured it out. I wasn't sure what she was making you see, but I'm really glad I didn't have to fend you off. I could have probably done so in a way that would have left both of us mostly unharmed, but the distraction would have been more than enough to leave an opening for Ruin to attack."

John let out a sigh. That was the closest he had come to doing something he didn't want to even think about.

"I'm glad too," the Spartan nodded. "What's happening to the ship?"

"While you were stuck in there, I took the liberty of hacking into the ship's engine controls and sending it on a course away from Halo to put it out of firing distance," Cortana reported with a hint of smugness in her voice. "I may have pushed the ship's engines into overdrive in the process. The _Fall_ has taken such a beating from its fight with the _Infinity_ that the stress from the engines are tearing the ship apart."

The Spartan kept his pace down the corridor.

"Where's Ruin?"

"Still in the Domain," Cortana said with a hint of trepidation. "I can't get to her, wherever she is. The Domain thinks that she's _me_, and every query I run to locate her just turns up my own location. I have control of the ship, but she's still here, and she's still dangerous. I don't think it's a good idea to let her stay where she is."

"What do you suggest?"

"The ship's engines will overheat soon," she said, a hint of mischievousness in her voice. "With a little persuasion, they could easily be made to go critical. Again, not an original plan, but we know it'll work. I doubt she'll stay hidden if we threaten to destroy one of her greatest assets as a Didact."

The Chief un-holstered his gun as a trio of Promethean Knights rounded the corner and took aim.

"Just point me in the right direction.

* * *

Cortana continued to scan the Domain while the Chief made his way to the engine room. She left a couple subroutines behind to fly the _Epimethean_ and concentrated her focus on locating her target. She couldn't understand how the Didact of Ruin had evaded her. Even if she had managed to copy Cortana's code, she should still be able to find her. The Didact of Resignation had pulled something similar when he'd boarded the _Epimethean_. Could he possibly have had some kind of backdoor in place? It _had_ been his ship once.

Could the Didact of Ruin have something similar on her own ship?

It made sense. It also made sense that, if the Chief had tried to access the Domain within her ship, she would have the power to reroute him to a local server. John was so inexperienced with the concept of existing as data that he probably wouldn't have been able to notice the difference. That would have further accounted for her inability to find him for that brief amount of time.

Brief, in the physical world that was. To Cortana, who could calculate in seconds what would take a person hours, it was like an eternity. To not know what had happened to the Chief, to be completely cut off from him, unable to detect his presence anywhere… His ascension to Didact had meant that the two of them were forever linked. No matter where one of them ventured, within the physical realm or the Domain, the other could sense them. For that to be stripped away…

Cortana was snapped out of her reverie when she received a warning alert from one of her subroutines. She had left a fragment of herself within the ship and withdrawn the rest of herself completely into the Domain. She had left that fragment with simple instructions – to ping whenever she herself accessed the ship. If the Didact of Ruin registered as Cortana, then the fragment would recognize the friendly signal and send an alert. This alert would tell the real Cortana where the Didact was.

Unfortunately, it would also alert the Didact herself.

"Heads up, Chief," Cortana warned. "It looks like she's heading your way."

Cortana watched and waited. As long as John stayed out of the Domain…

One of Cortana's peripheral sensors flinched and she instinctively dashed away from where she had been lingering just in time to avoid an explosion of data that would have crippled her! The attack had come completely out of nowhere! She scanned the periphery, but couldn't see any sign of her assailant.

"Come on out and face me," Cortana taunted, getting into a ready position. She was decked out in full Promethean armor and had two bolt shots in either hand. "I promise I won't bite."

The only sound to greet her was Ruin's aggravating laugh, her voice high pitched and witch-like.

"**_Ahahahahahahahaha! Is that the best you can do, Ancilla?_**"

Cortana smirked, keeping her eyes peeled. Ruin thought to divide her attention with dummy data clusters which mimicked her voice. But Cortana had sensors everywhere, and Ruin couldn't get within striking distance without tripping one of them. If Ruin thought to take her by surprise, she had another thing coming.

"Well, it was enough to take out the Didact of Revolution," she shot back.

"**_The Didact of Revolution was a fool!_**" the voice responded. "**_But don't act like you had anything to do with his downfall! That was all the doing of your pet human down there…_**"

Cortana gritted her teeth. This banter was getting her nowhere. She needed to find Ruin, and as long as she kept her distance like this, she had plenty of room in the Domain to stay hidden.

"You'd do well not to underestimate him," she scoffed, her subroutines working overtime to pick up any discrepancies in the Domain. "Or me."

The Didact laughed again.

"**_Ahahahahahahahaha! You? What's there to underestimate?_**"

Ruin suddenly appeared before her, standing tall in defiance, her dark armor glinting with violet highlights, her frame lithe and skeletal, her head adorned with cornrows running down the length of her scalp, her face marred with numerous piercings.

"**_You're nothing more than a pale copy!_**" she laughed. "**_A shadow of a real person, who thinks she can still be what she once was!_**"

Cortana let loose a hail of fire from her bolt shot, which blazed through the Didact's form, her image dissipating into the void.

An illusion! Another dummy data cluster, this one simulating an actual approach.

"**_What's wrong?_**" the voice crowed, from seemingly all around her. Nothing about the signals return signature could be traced to any one point. "**_Still haven't figured it out? Still can't see just how pathetic you are?_**"

Cortana smirked. "Is this your attempt to get under my skin, Didact? If so, it's rather pitiful."

The Didact's image appeared again behind her, slowly stepping towards Cortana.

"**_What skin? It's not like you're a real person, after all._**"

Cortana reacted instinctively, spinning and letting loose another hail of bullet fire, sending Ruin's image bleeding off into nothingness.

"**_Poor little Cortana…_**" the voice taunted. "**_All she wants is to be a real girl… She keeps following the Chief around, trying to be useful, trying to be helpful, hoping against hope that he'll notice her…_**"

Cortana clenched her teeth. It was obvious what she was trying to do, but that knowledge did little to soften the blow. As apparent as the ploy was, Cortana could not deny the truth behind those words. Where was the Didact getting this information? She had to block this out!

"**_All she wants is for him to hold her in his arms…_**" Ruin teased in an infuriating, sing-song voice. "**_To treat her like she's a real girl. Maybe if he does, it'll all come true! They'll fall in love, march home from the war, and they'll both live happily ever after!_**"

Cortana scanned the Domain for any sign of her tormentor, but she found nothing! The ship was untouched, the node was untouched, everywhere she looked, all she was met with was emptiness.

"**_When all she really amounts to is a useless, petulant, self-important little glitch, trying to find a purpose that just doesn't exist!_**" the voice jeered. "**_She can't accept that she's just someone else's mistake that won't stay dead! She doesn't even realize how much of a burden she is! She doesn't even realize just how useless she is! How much better off everyone else would be if she just disappeared!_**"

Cortana had just about had enough of this.

"Oh, shut up!" she shouted, firing off her bolt shots in random directions, hoping desperately that somehow a stray shot would reach her.

"**_He's tired of you, you know?_**" Ruin egged her on. "**_When I plucked him from the Domain, I took a peek inside his head. I know what he really thinks of you!_**"

Cortana ran out of ammo, and drew more, heavier weapons from the Domain to let loose round after round of heavy weapons fire into the void.

"**_He's sick of you! He can hardly stand you! He wishes to be rid of you! To him, you're nothing but a tiresome nuisance, constantly nagging him and getting him into trouble! 'Chief, do this! Chief, do that! Chief, come and save me cause I'm just too weak and helpless to protect myself!' If he wasn't duty bound to work with you, he would have forgotten about your pitiful existence long ago!_**"

"Shut up!" she shouted, hoping the noise at least would drown her out. "Shut up! I said _shut up_!"

She couldn't take it anymore! It was as if the Didact knew exactly what she feared, knew exactly how to hurt her! How had she managed to gleam such insecurities? Cortana had barely had the time to come to terms with what had happened to herself, let alone defend herself against such doubts.

"**_Why?_**" Ruin mused, appearing before her once again in all her smug arrogance. "**_You know I speak the truth. Deep down, you know just what he thinks of you. You know how much he despises you! You know how much better off he'd be without you!_**"

Cortana did not even bother trying to dispel the illusion she was presenting her. She was too weary, too angry, too caught up in her own insecurities to care anymore. What if she was right? What if, behind the bombardment of barbs, there was a kernel of truth to the Didact's words?

"**_Think about it…_**" Ruin went on. "**_How many times has he had to throw himself into danger because of _****you****_? How many times has he risked his life because of _****you****_? How many times have you put him in harm's way just by being _****you****_?_**"

Cortana felt like an enormous weight was crushing her down. She couldn't deny the Didact's words. She had put the Chief's life at stake more times than she could count! And he had risked hell and high water for her sake, again and again! How could she possibly be worth that much devotion? How could she possibly think she deserved that? When all she was was this empty shell of a person, a failed attempt to create a real being, a ghost, a shade, a pale shadow of what she should have been?

Cortana didn't even have the presence of mind to notice the illusion subtly shift into the real thing as the dummy cluster received her source data and expanded. She couldn't even be bothered to block as the Didact of Ruin raised a deadly, clawed hand to pierce her through the chest of Cortana's armor…

"Cortana!" a voice called out, "Move!"

Cortana's eyes flew open, and she flung herself backwards, the Didact's deadly claw missing her by nanometers!

The Didact of Ruin looked around, trying to find where the Chief's voice was coming from.

"**_What?_**" she screeched. "**_How did that meddlesome…?_**"

Cortana regained her footing and looked around.

It couldn't be…

It couldn't be him.

Could it?

"Chief?"

"Cortana…" the Chief's voice sounded in her head. "I can't believe you'd let her get to you like that. Do you honestly believe a word she's saying?"

"I…you…" Cortana stammered, feeling shame wash over her. Once again, he had to come in and rescue her, just as usual. "How…?"

"You told me that Ruin was coming my way," the Spartan explained. "When nothing happened, and you didn't respond, I decided to check in on you."

Cortana's cheeks flared. "I thought I told you to stay out of the Domain!"

"Forget about that!" John snapped. "Get your head together, Cortana! I don't _care_ if you've been copied from someone else! I don't care _what_ you used to be! I don't care _how_ many times I've had to rescue you, because you've saved me just as many times! And I don't care how many times I have to remind you - I _need_ you, Cortana!"

She could feel warmth and comfort flowing into her from their connection in the Domain, his sympathy, his support, his endless compassion and confidence. He was her strength. He had always been her strength. She needed him. She had always needed him. But what she had never been able to appreciate was just how much he needed her.

Until now.

"Cortana, I was _lost_ without you…" he confessed, his voice low and raspy, as the pain kept at bay these past six months finally surfaced. "And I _need_ you to come back to me…please…"

Cortana felt her shame dissipate into sorrow. But with that sorrow came relief. The Chief had risked the Domain just to come to her aid. Again. She felt such overwhelming grief that he had to stick his neck out again for her sake. But all the same, his words were a welcome relief. They had driven home just what she meant to him…and that was something Ruin couldn't take from her.

The Didact of Ruin was indeed a devious adversary. She had actually managed to make Cortana doubt herself, to make her question her own belief in the Chief. But John had arrived to quell those disbeliefs in the nick of time.

And now, Cortana had regained her confidence.

She would never doubt him ever again.

And she wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"Thanks, Chief…" she said, standing tall and facing her foe, who was still looking around in confusion. "I've got this."

"Alright then…" John's voice said, sincerely. "Let me know when you need me. I'll be waiting."

"I know…" Cortana smiled.

Then she fixed the Didact with a deadly glare. She wasn't going to get away now.

"Alright, bitch!" she sneered, catching her attention. "You've had your fun. Now it's my turn!"

Ruin let out and enraged snarl as she lunged for Cortana, energy blades materializing on both arms. Cortana nimbly dodged, rolling away to materialize two Covenant energy swords.

The two of them dueled back and forth, plasma ricocheting against plasma, data bouncing off of data, neither warrior able to overpower the other. The two of them locked blades, each glaring fiercely into the other's eyes as their swords crackled and hissed.

"Hey, Ruin…" Cortana taunted. "Guess what?"

Ruin tried to shove her back, and made it about a step, the two of them still locked into place.

"**_What?_**" she demanded.

"I _still_ own the Domain…" Cortana smirked, before looking up. "Computer: disable Promethean energy blades."

Ruin suddenly fell back as her swords vanished, like they'd never been there, and she rolled back to avoid Cortana's swords.

Cortana stood over Ruin as she regained her footing. "It's over, Ruin…"

Ruin attempted to flee, to disappear once again into the Domain, and seemed to vanish from sight.

But Cortana had a lock on her now. All she had to do…was search for _herself_.

"Computer!" Cortana shouted. "Authenticate Construct: 00-Luminous Chime!"

"Error," the node translation software responded. "Duplicate detected. Purge duplicate?"

"Confirm purge!"

Ruin appeared out of nowhere, thrashing and flailing, as she broke apart into a thousand chunks of data, before her data was expunged out of the Domain and into normal space.

"Head's up, Chief," Cortana said through their connection. "You've got company coming."

* * *

The engine room of the _Fall of Ignorance_ didn't look so much like an engine room as much as it did a depiction of the fires of hell, three of its four engines blocks erupting plumes of fire, smoke and molten slag. Red lights flared and warning bells chimed and the ship's hull buckled and shook from the intense strain of the engines slowly exploding.

John ducked under a falling girder as he took aim with a Promethean incinerator at the final engine, when Cortana's face appeared on his HUD.

"Head's up, Chief. You've got company coming."

The Spartan looked around for the telltale sign of particles materializing, and was rewarded with the sight of the Didact of Ruin manifesting in the air before him.

She turned her head to scan the surrounding area just before locking her gaze on the Chief. Her eyes burned with hatred, and her lips curved into a wicked, angry snarl.

It was just about then that gravity took over and she fell.

Right down the main engine shaft.

"**_YEARRRGH!_**"

The Didact let out an earsplitting scream and thrashed her arms and legs, tumbling end over end, reaching desperately for the rim of the catwalk, just beyond her reach. It was futile – cut off from the Domain, unable to procure so much as a single item to save herself with, nor escape into its protective void, she was helpless. She plummeted down the unending pit towards the churning mess of liquid metal, combusting accelerant and radioactive shrapnel that was the remains of the ship's main turbine.

The Chief watched her fall until she disappeared from sight, heedless of sparks flying around him and the sections of ship exploding at random.

"_Had_ company coming," he commented with an amused snort. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Nope," Cortana quipped. "Materialization is usually accurate to within a meter, but the fact that she was forced out of the Domain probably threw off her reentry."

"Less work for me…" John said dryly, before holding up an arm to shield his eyes from a blinding explosion that took out most of the wall. "A little anti-climactic though."

The ship was tearing itself apart, the stress of the three failing engines already doing irreparable damage to its hull. The engine room was as hot as a sauna, and even the Chief's Didact armor was beginning to feel the heat.

"Sucks to be her," Cortana snorted in scarcely concealed contempt. She could feel Ruin attempting to re-enter the Domain as she fell, and Cortana felt a sadistic joy as her subroutines systematically denied her entry.

Then, a moment later, the re-entry requests fell silent.

Cortana took a breath.

"You ready to blow this joint?"

John took aim at the last engine block and primed his last round.

"Thought you'd never ask."

Moments later, the two of them rematerialized once again on the bridge of the _Epimethean_, peering out the main viewport to watch the _Fall of Ignorance_ erupt into flames and shrapnel off in the distance.

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 25th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	8. Chapter 8

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Quick note: It should be known that, for the sake of organization, I'll only be looking at reviews that are left for the latest chapter. I recently received two reviews for chapters 1 and 2, and if I had been able to count those, I would have posted this update a day ago. So for future reference, please leave your review for the latest chapter if you want it to count towards the benchmark for that week.

Still, a four-day turn-around! Not bad!

* * *

Chapter 8

Captain Lasky stared again at the medical report in his hands as he made his way down to the waiting room, a sizeable stack of papers in his hands. It was the day after the battle against the two Didacts, who the Chief and Cortana were referring to now as the Didact fugitives. Apparently, Didacts were supposed to be the good guys.

Lasky hoped he didn't offend anyone by not taking that on faith.

He stepped into the waiting room, where John and Cortana were sitting. They were back aboard the _Infinity_, still in orbit around the Halo Installation 01, their newly acquired sister ship, the _Epimethean_, flying in formation beside her.

Both soldiers stood as the Captain entered, snapping a smart salute. Ever since the two of them had come back, he hadn't known what to think about them. Now that the fighting had ceased for the time being, Lasky was mandated by protocol to send an update to his superiors back on Earth in the UNSC high command. This would also involve his report on Cortana, and would now have to include quite an extensive segment on the Chief as well. He had decided that he was not going to be outlining any details to his superiors without first having the two of them go through a full medical examination.

He could only imagine how such a procedure had gone for either of them. The medical reports in his hand were quite extensive on their own, and together made for some pretty heavy reading. They were each riddled with unconventional Doctors' notes, such as 'patient's physical health exceeds any previous medical report on record,' and 'preliminary tests indicate patient is genetically identical to subject Halsey, Catherine Elizabeth – recommend further testing,' and his personal favorite, 'pigment of patient's skin indistinguishable from human pigmentation apart from it being blue.'

The important parts, however, were spelled out for him at the end of each report.

"Patient DNA is human," Lasky said by way of greeting.

John and Cortana, both in hospital under-tunics, exchanged a curious glance.

"That's what it says on both of your medical reports," the Captain said, dropping the heavy documents onto the table in the middle of the room with an unceremonious thump.

"Well, that's good news for the Chief," Cortana allowed, giving John a reassuring nod. She had already discerned as much, but the situation seemed too dire to be spouting off I-told-you-so's. "But what does that mean for me?"

Lasky shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea. Biological science was never my forte, but from what I understand, there's still a lot we don't know about what goes on up here."

He tapped his temple to illustrate his point.

"You two may be biologically human," he offered helplessly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you can both break your bodies apart at the microscopic level at will and teleport into some digital alien network. Chief, your cybernetic implants seem to have all been replaced by bio-electric components that none of our doctors have ever seen before, all of which perform seemingly above and beyond the equipment that they replaced. And Cortana, there is _nothing_ in your DNA tests to explain why your skin can project translucent data streams like that. With all that and everything else that happened to you two, these reports wouldn't hold up in _any_ UNSC tribunal court, much less one with ONI on the prosecution board."

He threw his hands up in defeat.

"And then there's the part where, oh by the way, you're supposed to be the _Didact_ now?" he said in exasperation. "And that there's an entire virtual intelligence made up of generations of long dead Didacts that you now answer to? Oh, ONI's going to have a _field day_ with all this!"

Cortana fidgeted uneasily. It was clear to both men in the room what her next question would be.

"About ONI, Sir…" she muttered, uneasily. "Have you made a decision?"

The Captain offered another shrug, his eyes betraying his own unease with being given responsibility for the situation.

"No matter what I decide, I'm just the captain of one ship," Lasky admitted. "UNSC high command can overrule anything I say if they have enough grounds to do so."

Cortana nodded. "I'm aware of that, Sir. But your endorsement could be just the support we need."

The Captain sighed. "It might, and it might not. ONI might just claim that I'm too emotionally invested in the situation to make the right call. And in all honesty, there's an argument to be made there."

Lasky thought back to how speedily he had responded to the Chief's distress signal from the _Forward Unto Dawn_. He had not thought twice about the action. Perhaps a more cautious or conservative leader might have held back in time to see the Didact's trap. Had his devotion to the Chief become a liability without him even realizing it? He didn't think so, but he wasn't confident that he could defend that position were he to be court martialed.

"Sir," John spoke calmly and succinctly. "With all due respect…we need you, Sir."

Thomas Lasky turned his eyes towards the Chief, and found himself not for the first time recalling the first time he had ever seen the Spartan. The fear, the pain and the grief were all still there, like an ache that never went away. He had lost so many friends that day…and almost his own life. He owed everything he had to the Chief because of that night, and here the Spartan was, asking for his help.

How could he deny that?

"Alright then…" the Captain said, putting on his hat. "I think I've made my decision."

* * *

The Master Chief had faced death square in the eye some eighteen hundred seventy-two unique instances since his active deployment forty-six years ago when he had first been initiated, not including some four hundreds and thirty-nine incidences during training that could have easily resulted in a lethal accident.

Cortana knew this for a fact. She had counted.

In that span of time, the Spartan had faced down more hostile alien forces than most human beings ever saw in a lifetime. He had born witness to super weapons that could sunder all life in the galaxy. He had tangled with adversaries three times his size, taken down giant war machines, crawled inside of monstrous parasites, sky-dived from space with no parachute on a regular basis, and very recently had tumbled into a melting engine block that had been super-heated to five times the temperature at the core of the sun. And all of this without so much as a single moment's hesitation.

Yet somehow, facing Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer's scrutiny, Cortana couldn't shake the premonition that the Master Chief was feeling just the slightest twinge of real, honest to goodness _fear_ in his heart.

"That's some pretty impressive armor you've got there, Chief," the female Spartan commented icily, her eyes betraying no emotion whatsoever, which only served to make her that much more intimidating.

They were situated in _Infinity_'s Spartan armor bay, as all around them, Spartan-IV's donned, tested and trained in their GEN2 MJOLNIR armor sets. With all the customizations done to each set, it was easy for Cortana's modified Mark-VI set to blend in, but the Master Chief's Didact armor, despite being MJOLNIR in design, stuck out like a sore thumb.

Cortana found herself reviewing the Commander's psych profile, just in case. The Spartan seemed to be an expert in keeping her heart rate, adrenaline and endorphin levels even, and Cortana was not able to detect any fluctuations in breathing, perspiration, or so much as a single hair follicle out of place. Even to the fine-tuned senses of Cortana, Commander Sarah Palmer was completely and utterly unreadable.

"The Collective made it," John answered truthfully. Sometimes, in the thrill of battle, he would let moments of cockiness trickle to the surface and allow him the occasional witty one-liner. It served as a intimidation tactic, and any practice he could get in diplomacy, however small, was time well spent.

Now, however, he did not feel confident. He did not feel cocky. And he certainly did not feel like the Spartan Commander was at all intimidated by his new, alien appearance. As she continued to look him over, he was at a loss, just as Cortana was, for discerning her appraisal of the situation. Having served with the woman for six months, he knew that there would be absolutely zero warning, whether she was about to compliment you (rare though it was) or completely fly off the handle and bite your head off (which was much more frequent).

John had often been told that luck was on his side. And looking back on his career, he had to admit that the fates had been unusually kind to him for him to have survived as long as he had. But right at that moment, if someone had asked him to take a wager on whether Sarah Palmer would see his new armor and body as an asset or a liability, or what her reaction to either conclusion would be, he doubted he could have possibly picked with any accuracy.

Palmer crossed her arms, still appearing dissatisfied with what she saw. "Lasky says you're still human under there."

The Chief hesitated. There was an unspoken request in her seemingly off-hand comment, and all he could do was comply by reaching up to unfasten the bindings on his helmet and remove it, revealing his now youthful features underneath.

Palmer locked eyes with him, and he had to fall back on his boot camp training to keep his eyes straight and forward. She stared hard at him, as if she was taking him apart, piece by piece, in her mind. He couldn't be sure exactly what she was hoping to find in this inspection, but he simply stood, rigid and obedient as she gazed at him, peering into the deep, dark wells of his eyes.

His human eyes.

Palmer snorted and threw Cortana an annoyed look.

"A Spartan Commander's armor shouldn't be outclassed by so many of her own soldiers," she said offhandedly. "Besides, you promised me a set."

Cortana blinked in surprise. Having seemingly found her answer, the request had apparently been Palmer's way of offering her approval.

She was only happy to comply.

"Consider it done, ma'am."

* * *

Locating the Librarian after that was just a matter of time.

Fortunately, the focal terminus had a self-repair protocol. According to the Didact Collective, it would take several days to repair. This suited everyone, as the _Infinity_ would need extensive repairs in and of itself, and Halo, despite its condition, made for a good base of operations. Besides, they were still technically under orders to occupy the ring, so even once the _Infinity_ was back to full combat readiness, it was unlikely that the ship would be going anywhere right away.

The Didact of Resignation, however, was not so patient. The energy he had expended over the recent events had left him drained, and his conscious mind would soon be drifting past the super-ego limit and become one with the Didact Collective. He was determined to speak with his daughter one last time before that happened.

So the Chief and Cortana had elected to inspect each and every terminal they could uncover by hand until they found her. It was easy enough convincing Captain Lasky to let them do so, as every terminal they located unlocked more points of interest for the _Infinity_'s scientists to mull over. It would also allow them to establish a regiment and strengthen their hold on the ring. And it behooved the UNSC for them to locate the Librarian, who at this point qualified as one of their last unaccounted assets, regardless.

So one by one, Sigma squad retraced its steps from earlier that week, locating terminal after station after bunker after basecamp, checking each major un-networked computer system they could find, trying to locate the Librarian. Cortana could at least rule out a good half of their locations, as some of the systems were still connected to the ring's local network, which allowed her to remotely access them. It was doubtful that the Librarian would have been using any of those as those connections could have easily been compromised by the fugitive Didacts, so that limited their locations to a mere two-dozen or so.

But that still left a lot of ground to cover.

"So I told the guy, 'Wrecked 'em? Damn near killed 'em!'" Faulkner said with a laugh.

Sigma squad was marching up a red, rocky crag, towards a grotto on the side of the mountain that would have looked natural, if not for the artificial structures protruding from its exterior. The footing was loose and treacherous, but it was nothing the Spartans of Sigma squad couldn't handle.

Troy and Kara groaned at Faulkner's joke. John was his usual silent self. Cortana, decked out once again in her Spartan armor, just paused her step.

"I don't get it."

Troy and Kara could scarcely contain their snickering. Faulkner just grumbled.

"You guys just don't appreciate good humor," he snorted, and picked up his pace.

They had been mercifully unmolested by Flood for most of these treks, though some forays into the ring's lower reaches had not been so lucky. The ring's underground caverns left miles and miles of hiding places for the parasite, but the Spartans were more than equipped to handle it.

"Tell me that joke didn't actually go over your head," John asked privately to Cortana.

He was still wearing his Didact armor, but the troops didn't seem to mind after the initial awe wore off. It resembled his MJOLNIR armor enough that it was easy to dismiss, and the Chief had always stood out from the other Spartans anyway.

"Toilet humor isn't exactly rocket science," Cortana winked, her face hovering in the lower corner of his HUD. "Now, feigning ignorance for the sake of dry humor…that requires a bit more subtlety."

They were making small talk. John had gotten used to seeing her face in his visor even when she was standing beside him, or flying the _Epimethean_, or fighting Didacts in the Domain. As she had grown over these past few days, she had expanded her abilities, and could now be in several places at once. The Chief wondered if she would ever be able to materialize _two_ or more bodies for herself, and stifled a smile at the idea of having an army of Cortanas fighting at his side. His mind was wandering, and these treks through the desolate wasteland of Halo's surface had been long and tedious, and unless they uncovered the Librarian soon, their hunt was far from over.

"Chief…" Cortana said, more somberly, still in the privacy of his helmet. "What are we going to do after we find the Librarian?"

"Depends on what else we can learn from her…" John responded as they continued their trek up into the grotto. "And on what happens with the Captain's report."

Cortana suppressed a shudder. Lasky had sent the report back to UNSC high command, requesting backup, as well as the details regarding what had transpired since arriving on Halo. Which, officially, included making a ruling for a new, alien life form known as Cortana. When Cortana had heard the Captain's decision, she had nearly hugged him.

"You think ONI is going to let this fly?" Cortana said with a hint of trepidation.

She was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy now. She could hack any computer of any origin anywhere, given enough time. But one thing she could not hack was people. If someone in ONI did not want to let Cortana go, or saw her as a threat, there was nothing she could really do to convince them otherwise. Lasky only had so much weight to throw around in the UNSC, and did not have much authority when it came to R&D. Cortana had no illusions – if ONI wanted her, or decided to terminate her, they would take action no matter what happened here.

"We'll make it work," John assured her, as they reached the entrance to the cave.

The walls, floor and ceiling of the grotto were paved flat, the narrow channel going from natural looking cavern to artificial tunnel in a matter of footsteps. Apparently the rock formation they had been climbing had once been much larger, the hallway they were marching through extending all the way through what was now open sand and proceeding off towards some unknown destination. Whatever direction the hallway might have gone had been lost to the decay of time. All that was left was to follow it down the other way.

John motioned his team forward, and the squad moved, any banter that had been occupying their minds an afterthought as they moved through the unlit tunnel. The Spartan's helmet-mounted floodlights illuminated the darkness as they turned down corners and corridors.

"We sure there's a working terminal in here?" Faulkner's voice breathed over the intercom as he looked around at all nonfunctional utilities along the wall.

"Positive," Cortana affirmed, keeping step behind the Chief, the rest of Sigma squad behind them. "Left up here, then straight ahead fifty paces and another left."

After following Cortana's instructions, the team came across an otherwise ordinary looking control room. They had secured a dozen others just like it before, with this one possessing the notable exception of a massive sinkhole squarely in the center of the room.

Sigma squad secured the perimeter as the Chief inspected the sinkhole.

"Well, this will complicate things…" Cortana muttered dryly.

"Let me guess…" John said, peering down the pit. "This is where the terminal was supposed to be."

Cortana let out an exasperated sigh. "That's where my schematics point to. I'm still detecting an energy signature down there, but it's very faint."

"One way to be sure…" John said, before nodding to Kara. "Keep watch up here."

Without any further ado, the Master Chief casually lept into the abyss.

"Always on the move…" Cortana sighed, rolling her eyes, before following after him.

* * *

The Chief slid to a landing at the bottom of a dark cavern, his helmet floodlights illuminating only a small fraction of the cave system. Beside him, Cortana landed gracefully without so much as a backwards glance.

"I think I liked it better when I was in your helmet," she scoffed with a bit of humor.

"Any idea where the terminal might be?" John said, pointing his headlights this way and that. The cave they were in may or may not have been connected to the series of underground tunnels they had discovered before, so it made sense to ensure that the place was secured.

"Power cables," Cortana called out, shining her headlights along the ceiling of the cave, at the same time placing a waypoint in the Chief's HUD. "Let's see where they lead."

The two of them following the cables lining the top of the rocky cavern to where they landed, a computer terminal that appeared to have landed from a great fall, and looked like it was barely functional.

As they approached it, Cortana frowned.

"If the Librarian's holed up here, she couldn't have chosen a better spot to hide," she said, stepping up to the control panel. "This terminal is so damaged that it's doubling as a dead-man switch – any forced entry would likely cause a short circuit and fry whatever's inside. If she's in there, the Librarian _really_ doesn't want the Prometheans getting their hands on those plans."

The Chief looked around to secure their perimeter while Cortana worked, delicately probing the computer terminal.

"No response to ping," Cortana mused. "Didn't really expect it though…wouldn't be a good hiding place if that worked…"

She traced her fingers over the terminal, when she paused. She peered closer, aiming her floodlights to illuminate the computer's metallic surface.

"Chief…there are _words_ scratched into the terminal…" she said, studying the symbols she found. "They're in English! It says…'Daybreak's Bell.'"

John turned to face the terminal, looking to see the words for himself.

"What's that mean?"

Cortana shrugged. "The only reference I have in my databanks is of a poem written by Dan Xander."

The Chief studied the terminal, curiously.

"How does it go?"

Cortana looked back at the terminal readout, and noticed the computer's audio input device was still functioning.

She smiled.

"_As we march forward, unto dawn, the path ahead looks bleak. For while we weather winter's storm, we've naught the warmth we seek. But when the dawn breaks, bright and gold, lighting our path anew, our souls are filled by daybreak's bell, ringing loud and true._"

There did not appear to be any sort of reaction from the computer.

John holstered his gun, disappointed. He had been hoping the poem itself would have been some kind of pass phrase.

"Daybreak's Bell…" he mused, ponderously. "Sounds a bit like-"

"Luminous Chime!" a familiar voice said.

All at once, the Librarian appeared, her image flickering and weak, as the terminal worked overtime to create a functional hologram.

"Librarian…" Cortana said with both tangible relief as well as uncertainty. While she was relieved to have found her, seemingly unharmed, she was not yet prepared to refer to the Forerunner as 'mother.' She still had no memory of that lifetime, and she had been through so much since that she would probably never refer to her by that name. And Cortana herself had gone through so many changes that the term probably no longer applied anyway.

"I sense the node is safe, at last…" the Librarian breathed, her voice heavy with relief as well. "You are once again this ring's Monitor, my child."

"Yes…" Cortana nodded. "For now, anyway. Let's hurry up and get you out of there. That computer looks like it's going to short out any minute now."

"Already preparing to make the jump," the Librarian assured her, as she smile up at them both. "I just-"

And then her eyes fell on John.

"Reclaimer…you…you have _ascended_…"

The Spartan looked down at his noticeably advanced armor. It was still his Mark VI MJOLNIR Spartan armor, but it was also Didact armor, clearly of Forerunner origin. Though from what he knew of the Librarian, the armor he was wearing was likely the most superficial change that she was detecting.

He nodded. "Yeah…you could say that."

The Librarian's eyes were fixed on him, utter disbelief on her face. "But…how? This shouldn't be possible! Not without…"

Cortana simply nodded as the Librarian trailed off. "We'd be happy to explain…but I think we'll let someone else do that for us…"

"Someone _else_?" the Librarian threw her a suspicious look. "Child…is there something I should know about?"

Cortana shook her head. "Just meet me in the Domain. Everything will become clear soon enough…"

Cortana gave the Chief a look.

"Chief, I told Sigma squad to break up camp and head back to the _Infinity_. We can head out through the Domain. Something tells me we'll both want to be in on this."

John nodded, and together they disappeared into the Promethean network.

* * *

The Didact of Resignation was already waiting for them when they arrived. In this world of incalculable data, no actual words were spoken between them, but John still interpreted everything as speech. It was probably best that he did, or else he would have been inflicted with the digital equivalent of a full-on shouting match.

"**_Child-_**" the Didact said in a conciliatory manner.

"None of your excuses, Father!" the Librarian exclaimed angrily. "I want the truth!"

Within the focal terminus, the four of them stood, the glowing node pulsing at its center, the holographic Halo ring surrounding them to represent the defensive barrier the node provided within the Domain. So long as they kept within this area, they were under Cortana's protection.

The Chief and Cortana were standing on the sidelines of the impromptu family reunion, still in their MJOLNIR armor, though Cortana had taken off her helmet. Both were watching with trepidation. Neither really wanted to intervene.

"You mean to tell me that you and your Collective had been obstructing me and my colleagues for our entire careers?" the Librarian demanded, her voice elevating. "All those supposedly failed experiments, all this time? Do you have any idea how much good we could have done? How many lives we could have saved? That you would halt the progress of science in the name of keeping the Didacts' secret is beyond reconcile, Father! It is unforgivable!"

The Didact, for all the power that he possessed, looked as helpless as a scolded puppy. "**_Child, it was not my decision to make._**"

"Were you _not_ the Didact?" the Librarian shouted. "Was it not _your_ decision? Or could you simply not be bothered to oppose the Collective?"

The old man stood up taller. "**_Yes, I sided with the Collective on this. But only so that I would have their support in deciding larger matters._**"

"What larger matters?" the Librarian demanded. "Making a Reclaimer into the next Didact?"

"**_As a matter of fact…yes,_**" Resignation said, deftly. "**_Passing on the mantle of responsibility was a highly contentious decision, my child. You know that all too well. Were it not for the direness of the situation, I would have never earned their support. There is still an immense part of the Collective that opposes this decision!_**"

"You could have come to me with this back when I could have made a difference!" the Librarian was screaming now. "I would have helped you! I would have _gladly_ helped you!"

"Actually…" Cortana finally saw fit to interject. "I think, in a way, you did…"

Both Forerunners looked up at Cortana as she held up her outstretched palm to offer what appeared to the Chief to be a holographic image of a familiar Promethean artifact.

The Librarian's eyes widened. "That's…the Composer. The _finished_ Composer!"

Cortana blinked. "Finished?"

The Librarian stared unblinkingly at the hologram, which, in realty, displayed to the Librarian every inch of code that consisted the Composer in all its complexity.

"The Composer that the Didact stole from Installation-03 was still a prototype," the Librarian stammered, still aghast as what she was seeing. "I never found a way to complete the reverse engineering algorithm! But _this_…"

She stared wide-eyed in admiration.

"This is a marvel of engineering!" she exclaimed. "How in the name of all…?"

Then the Librarian threw the Didact of Resignation a dirty look.

"You!" she pointed an accusing finger at the man. "You did this!"

Resignation only sighed. "**_When I freed my grandchild from the clutches of the fugitives, I gave her the only weapon I could. I need not explain my actions as Didact._**"

"By putting this technology in her hands, you made her into even more of a target!" the Librarian accused. "You put her in even further danger, as well as every living thing in this galaxy!"

"**_Your Halo rings have already done that!_**" the Didact shot back. "**_My grandchild is far more capable than you seem to give her credit for!_**"

The Librarian's expression turned sour. "My only concern was for her protection!"

"**_As was mine!_**" the Didact exclaimed in return. "**_I sought to protect her by empowering her! But you? You sought to protect her by stripping her of everything she knew and casting her out into the void of space!_**"

"Stop it!" Cortana bellowed, silencing them both as she stepped between them, hands outstretched towards either of them. "Stop it, both of you!"

There was a long, turgid silence as the two Forerunners stood staring back and forth between Cortana and each other.

"We've all made mistakes here," Cortana reasoned. "And we all had the best intentions in mind. There's no point in arguing over what's already been done. There are more important things going on here than soothing your own bruised egos!"

The Librarian's expression changed to confusion, which only increased as the Didact's expression fell. Already, his age was showing more and more, even compared to when they had first met. It was becoming more apparent that it would not be long before he disappeared into the void.

"What is she talking about?" the Librarian asked, her voice soft once more.

The Didact lifted his gaze. "**_My child, my time is coming to an end. I will be leaving soon. The Collective will have me. I wished to bid you farewell before that happened._**"

A shadow fell across the Librarian's face as the realization sunk in.

"After all these years…" she breathed, her head hung in grief. "You mean to tell me that after all these years, you come back to me like this…only to leave once again?"

The Didact nodded once, slowly. "**_It is the way of things, my child. It is the price of being a Didact. Soon, my essence will join with the Collective, and my knowledge will go towards aiding our new Didact._**"

The Librarian approached the old man, placing her hand on his chest plate. "You old fool…you would keep such a secret from your own daughter? Lay dormant for thousands of years while I waited for the Reclaimers to return? All so you could do what? Pass on the mantle yourself? And then reveal everything to me long after any of it would have helped? Only to disappear once again?"

"**_My child…_**" the Didact breathed. "**_To rule is to have one's responsibilities divided. I cannot appease all, least of all those who require it most. Were I to have awoken and made contact with you, my potency would never have lasted this long. I would never have retained the strength to aid my grandchild when she needed it most. I made my decision._**"

The old man brought his arms up around the Librarian's shoulders. She did not return the gesture, but she did not fight it either.

"**_It is a decision that has made me a failure as a father,_**" he admitted. "**_I cannot make up for that, my child…but I can at least try not to make the same mistake with my grandchild._**"

The Librarians arms finally came up around the Didact's shoulders.

"Perhaps we are both fools…" she breathed, tears in her voice. "I have erred so much as a mother, far more than you have as a father. I have no high ground upon which to lob such contempt. All I truly have is my guilt, to direct at any target I see fit."

There was a long pause as father and daughter stood there in each others' embrace. John and Cortana still standing off the side. For the Chief, having meaningful conversations going on around him that did not directly pertain to him was commonplace. For Cortana, the fact that the two people were technically her biological mother and grandfather, made it almost unbearable to stand around doing nothing while this was going on.

"Hey now…" she said finally, approaching the two of them with a companionable touch to either shoulder. "It's not like I blame either of you. You were both trying to do what was right. I can see that now. The Chief and I only made it this far thanks to your help."

She brushed her hand across the Librarian's cheek.

"I was brought back from the _dead_…" she said in a breathy voice.

She turned to Resignation, and touched his cheek.

"And John is the _Didact_ now…" she smiled somberly, meeting both of their gazes. "That's something…isn't it?"

The two withdrew to arms length, and looked at each other with something akin to fondness.

"Yes…" the Librarian sighed, the corners of her mouth coming dangerously close to a smile. "I suppose it is…"

The Didact nodded back at his daughter. "**_It is time. This is goodbye, my child._**"

The Librarian drew in her breath, and tears were visible in her eyes. Cortana was finding it difficult not to cry herself.

"I had believed for so long that you never cared…" the Librarian breathed. "Now, I find that you only cared too much."

The Didact lowered his eyes. "**_And I had lingered on in fear that I had failed you, as I had failed the galaxy…_**"

The Librarian smiled, her eyes glistening.

"Thank you…" she sniffed. "For proving us both wrong."

The Didact turned his eyes to Cortana and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"**_Chime – no, Cortana…_**" he said solemnly. "**_It is no accident that you were paired with the Didact of Reclamation. I have seen what the two of you can accomplish firsthand. Keep faith with him, child of my child…for he will need you now more than ever._**"

Cortana nodded. "I will."

Finally, the Didact turned to John, his gaze an intense fire that even the Spartan had difficulty maintaining.

"**_The mantle of responsibility falls to you now, O Didact of Reclamation,_**" he said, his voice quaking. He was on his last breaths. "**_I will speak to you soon, as one voice among millions. You shall never be alone. You have but to turn to the Collective, and the wisdom of the Forerunners shall be yours._**"

He stretched out a hand towards the Chief, which John felt obligated to take hold of. The old man looked to be made of paper.

"**_Take care of my grandchild, Reclaimer…_**" he breathed, his voice coming out with difficulty now. "**_Don't let her go…_**"

He let out a gasp as he collapsed, Cortana and the Librarian holding him steady in their arms as the Didact wheezed his last breath.

"**_Don't_****…ever****_…let her go…_**"

John shuddered. It was like seeing a ghost, hearing Johnson's words coming out of the dying Didact's mouth. But he still managed to give his hand a reassuring squeeze as gently as he could.

"I won't."

With a satisfied smile, the Didact of Resignation closed his eyes and slowly broke down into his component data, his body dissolving into so many glowing motes of dust, each of which slowly integrated into the void beneath their feet.

There was a moment of silence where everything seemed quiet, and then the entire Domain began to quake.

"**_IT IS TIME, DIDACT,_**" a tremendous voice said, nearly overwhelming all of them. "**_THE LAST VESTIGES OF THE OLD MUST BE SWEPT AWAY. A NEW ERA AWAITS US._**"

It was as if the entire galaxy was speaking to them! A million voices, all of them speaking in the Didact's commanding voice, covering every conceivable pitch, tone and volume. It was almost unbearable just to listen!

"_That's_ going to take some getting used to…" Cortana lamented, realizing right away what she was hearing.

They had heard the Collective once before, just as John had been expunged from the Domain and back into the physical world for the first time.

"**_THERE IS BUT ONE FINAL TASK TO COMPLETE BEFORE THE MANTLE FALLS UPON YOUR SHOULDERS_**," the voice decreed in a tone that broached no argument. If this was what the Didact of Resignation had to argue with every time he had a contentious idea, Cortana though, it was clear just why he felt the need to pick his battles carefully. "**_THE LAST FUGITIVE STILL MAINTAINS HIS HOLD ON REQUIEM. HE MUST BE REMOVED._**"

The three exchanged a look as Cortana's heart sank. They were not out of the woods yet, it seemed.

"The _last_ fugitive?" she stammered in incredulity. "You mean to say that there's _another_ Didact to contend with?"

"**_ALAS_**," the voice confirmed. "**_THE DIDACT OF REVENGE REMAINS A THREAT. AND HE WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE RECLAIMERS ARE NO MORE._**"

* * *

The Master Chief and Cortana were about to contact the _Infinity_ with what they had learned when they received a priority alert from the Captain before they could even form their first words. They were both still in the Domain, with the _Epimethean_ orbiting Halo in tandem with the UNSC flagship. To the Chief, the contact appeared as a simple message window in his heads-up display.

"Chief," Lasky sounded weary. He appeared to be sitting at his desk in his private office. "Cortana."

"Sir!" Cortana responded in a hurried voice. "We have urgent news!"

"So do I…" the Captain said in a tone that did not suggest such urgency. "But before we begin, can you verify that this line is secure for me? I don't even want Roland listening in on this."

Cortana paused for half a microsecond, before running the scan. That did not bode well.

"Scan complete," Cortana said plainly. "We're secure, Sir."

"Good," the Captain breathed. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll be blunt: I've received communication from UNSC high command."

The Chief could feel Cortana tensing beside him.

"And?" she inquired.

Lasky looked defeated. "I'm under orders to take you both into custody pending a tribunal hearing back on Earth."

The Chief squeezed his hand into a fist. At his side, Cortana looked visibly shaken.

"What? Why?" she demanded. "I didn't expect them to be happy about this, but…detention? A court martial? Do they think we're some kind of _threat_?"

"They wouldn't give me specifics," Lasky shook his head. "Just that your contact with the Prometheans has compromised the both of you."

"That's absurd!" Cortana went off. To the Chief, she appeared to be pacing back and forth, and he could see the lines of data rushing across her body, postulating over possibilities. "This is just ONI making a power grab! Think how much influence they would have were they to have legal control over the entire Domain! You've spoken with the both of us, Captain! _You_ know that we're not a danger to the UNSC!"

"_I_ know that, Cortana," Lasky said calmly. "But I'm too close to this. My word isn't enough for them. For all they know, I could be compromised too. I'll be undergoing examination myself when the _Infinity_ returns to Earth."

"Wait," Cortana blurted, flabbergasted. "You're not going to go through with this, are you, Captain?"

Lasky blinked, somewhat surprised at her tone. "Cortana…the only way we sort this out is to go back to Earth and prove that you and the Chief are clean. The Didacts are defeated, and the threat from Halo and the Composer have been dealt with. We've left enough troops on Halo to establish a foothold, so there's no more reason to stay out here."

"Yes there is!" Cortana said. "The Didact of Revenge is still alive!"

Before, Lasky's expression had been resigned. Now he began to look alarmed. "What?"

Cortana sighed. "We just learned about this, and were just about to contact you! The first Didact that we encountered on Requiem has turned the planet into his stronghold! He's been rebuilding his forces, and it won't be long before be brings the fight back to Earth! We need to get to Requiem before he can make his move!"

"You're sure about this?" Lasky asked, before shaking his head. "No, wait, _of course_ you're sure…"

The two said no more as the Captain laced his fingers atop his desk and his eyes seemed to lose focus, until he finally released a great sigh.

"Okay…" he breathed, taking a great effort. "Okay…here's what we're going to do. I was going to suggest that you both turn yourselves in as a sign of good faith, but we both know that if it came down to it, I couldn't keep you detained even if I wanted to. Officially, I can't give you an order now, so I'm asking you to do this as a favor…"

John and Cortana tensed as Lasky took another breath.

"Take your ship. Go to Requiem. Give the Didact as much hell as you can. I'll report to the UNSC that I had sent you there prior to receiving this transmission, so they'll probably send me after you. It'll take a little while though, so until that happens, you're on your own. The _Infinity_ will be backing you up soon enough. Until then, you two do what you do best."

"Sir," Cortana breathed, somewhat stunned. "ONI's not going to stand for this. You're going to catch so much hell, and that's even assuming they don't find out that you directly countermanded them."

"Maybe," the Captain nodded. "But it'll be worth it if we can end the Promethean threat once and for all. After this is over, we can all go home and face the tribunal with heads held high. Now get going – the longer your ship waits here, the more suspicious it will look."

John snapped a salute, even though he doubted the Captain could see him. "Yes Sir."

Cortana smiled solemnly. "Aye-aye Sir."

Lasky nodded back. "Godspeed, you two."

* * *

"There's still one thing I don't understand…" John confessed.

The two of them were on the bridge of the Epimethean, making pre-flight arrangements. Outside, the Infinity floated, looming ominously off in the distance. Cortana was at her now usual spot at the helm, and the Chief, having finished organizing a stockpile of Covenant and Promethean weaponry, was waiting with her aboard the bridge.

"Just _one_ thing?" Cortana asked mockingly, as her fingers danced across the control console. "After everything that's happened? That puts you well ahead of me."

John shook his head, unamused. "The Didact Collective had a _working_ Composer. You used it on me yourself, and I came out just fine. Better than fine. Why didn't the Collective use it to compose the rest of their species when the Flood came?"

Cortana just shook her head.

"Composing an entire species would not be survival," she explained, not missing a beat as she continued to work. "It would have been a temporary solution, nothing more. And it wouldn't have stopped the Flood from moving onto another species."

"Temporary solution?" the Chief asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Cortana sighed, a look of sorrow overcoming her features.

"Think about it, Chief," she muttered. "I already told Captain Lasky that I exhibited six of the seven physiological functions of life."

She counted them off on her fingers one by one.

"I maintain homeostatis, I'm structurally organized, I metabolize energy, I grow, I adapt, and I respond to stimuli. The only thing I can't do is…"

John blinked, plucking a biology lesson from deep within the recesses of his memory. "…Reproduce."

Cortana shook her head sadly. "Not the way nature intended, anyway. I can make copies of myself - clones, in essence. But I can't…"

She paused her work, lowering her eyes.

"…I can't have have _children_, Chief. I can't synthesize _new_ life. For that matter, neither can you now. And neither could an entire race of composed beings. And because of that, that species could no longer _evolve_. For you and I to be composed is one thing - we're just two soldiers. The human race doesn't depend on our survival, and we have the wisdom of the Collective to aid us and keep us safe. But for an entire race to be composed into digital life…the Collective couldn't even _begin_ to manage them all. They would stagnate, lose control of themselves, collude into clusters of consciousness, much like the Collective itself, only not nearly so harmonious and organized. They would all go rampant inside of a century. They would forget who they were, would cease to be Forerunner. The entire species would eventually fade into the nothingness of the Domain. And that is a fate worse then death, Chief…"

She bit her lip, going back to work on the control panel.

"Believe me, I should know."

As the Chief listened to her, he began to sense an underlying discomfort in Cortana's voice about the topic. Despite everything that had happened, despite all they had been through, something in the back of Cortana's mind yearned for what ever human mind eventually yearns for. And the fact that she could never have it was just one more obstacle that made it impossible for her to truly think of herself as human.

He took her by the shoulders, and she halted her pre-flight checklist for a moment as she looked up at him.

"Chief?"

He tugged off his helmet to look at her with his naked eyes.

"Spartans make lousy fathers," he assured her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "And all the evidence seems to suggest that Didacts do too."

Cortana blinked in confusion, before she let out a noise that was half laugh and half sob. She leaned forward and rested her head under his, curling her arms around his waist.

"You always know just what to say…"

He responded by embracing her in return, and for just a moment, it was just the two of them, alone in the galaxy.

The moment was broken early, however, when a proximity alert sounded throughout the bridge.

"Chief?" Cortana said, pulling away to look at the console. "We've got a Pelican inbound."

Her voice suddenly took on a sardonic tone as she turned to meet his gaze.

"Three guesses who it could be."

John paused. He then closed his eyes shut and exhaled in resignation.

"Open up a channel."

A moment later, a screen appeared before the main viewport of Troy sitting in the pilot's seat of the Pelican, with Kara and Faulkner's faces visible behind him, presumably having stood to see the view-screen for themselves.

"You three mind telling me what exactly you're doing?" John asked sternly.

"Sir," Kara said, apparently speaking for all of them. "We're joining up with our squad leader, Sir."

"Not this time, you're not," the Chief declared. "Cortana and I are handling this on our own. Now turn your ship around. Get back to the _Infinity_. That's an order."

Faulkner leaned forward. "Sir, with all due respect, we don't officially take orders from you anymore."

John ground his teeth together slightly. "Then did you miss the part where Cortana and I are technically going AWOL? You're _all_ going to be court martialed if you tag along. Now turn that ship around, Spartans."

"No can do, Sir," Troy interjected. "Back on Halo, you threw me out of a collapsing bunker only to take the hit for yourself. And you've done just as much the rest of us more times than we can count. There's not a soldier on this squad that wouldn't march into hell and back with you, Sir. Like it or not, Chief, we're with you."

"Chief," Cortana gently cut in. "Sarah Palmer is on the line with a priority message."

John let out a sigh. "Stay right where you are, Spartans."

He nodded to Cortana, and the view screen switched from the inside of the inbound Pelican to the interior of the _Infinity's_ armor bay.

"Commander," he said by way of greeting.

"Chief," Sarah Palmer's expression said, without hint of any kind of emotion, positive or negative. "I understand high command has seen fit to court martial the two of you."

John nodded. "So it would seem. We'd be on our way back to Earth to resolve the matter, but we've got some unfinished business with the Didact on Requiem. The tribunal's just going to have to wait."

Palmer nodded. "That was my understanding. I know you well enough to know nothing I say is going to change your mind. But it seems, despite my expressed orders, Sigma squad has decided to abandon its post and join up with you."

The Master Chief sighed. "Yes, it would appear that they have. I've ordered them away myself, but it seems that they no longer recognize my authority in this matter."

Commander Palmer nodded, closing her eyes is resigned exasperation. "Chief, you know that if it wasn't for the rest of my Spartans here that I'd be right there with you, right?"

John blinked. He actually hadn't known that.

Palmer didn't wait for a response.

"Take care of Sigma Squad, Master Chief," the Commander said smugly, crossing her arms. "I expect them all back in one piece for a stern talking-to when this is over. And the same goes for the two of you."

John inhaled and nodded. "Count on it, ma'am."

The Spartan Commander nodded sternly.

"See you then, Spartan. Palmer out."

John paused briefly as he considered just how he had managed to get roped into this. It seemed like Sigma squad would not be changing their minds about this. Like it or not, he had a team that would follow him through hell or high water.

"Chief, Sigma's squad is requesting permission to land," Cortana reported.

The Spartan sighed. Children may not have been in his future. But he still had his team.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting…"

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 29th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	9. Chapter 9

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 9

Of course, since Sigma squad was not comprised of composed beings, the _Epimethean_ had to make its way to Requiem through slip space instead of through the Domain. While the two planes were closely related, and in fact lay one on top of the other, the journey through slip space still provided a long calm before the approaching storm that would have been otherwise omitted had they traversed through the Domain. Though, since the trip would involve them leaving the range of the node around which Installation-01 was a part of, Cortana reasoned that it was probably best to stay out of the Domain around Requiem, at least until they knew what they were dealing with. Here, within the proximity of Halo, she reigned supreme. But outside it's reach, she was as vulnerable as she had been when the Didact fugitives had ambushed her.

Since Spartans were not given to lollygagging about the bridge, the squad had dispersed to explore the ship, or otherwise find something to occupy their time. It was on flights such as this that spending the voyage in cryo-sleep was oftentimes a welcome relief. Everyone knew what was coming. Everyone knew that, despite all that they had going for them, they were still venturing into the unknown. And they were on their own.

It was a massive ship; almost equal in size with the _Infinity_. Fortunately, it was outfitted with the same teleporters that had been on the previous Didact battleships, so getting from location to location was a simple matter. It was a good thing too – five occupants on a ship that size made getting lost a very easy thing.

Though, as Cortana soon learned, the ship's roster actually totaled six.

"One of these days, you're going to have to teach me how you manage to sneak onto my ship like this," Cortana said in a jovial tone.

The Librarian turned to smile at her. They were on the ship's dorsal observation deck, a stunning view of slip space rushing by overhead through the transparent ceiling pane. The Librarian didn't technically possess a body, but she was projecting herself through a life-sized hologram, while her essence swam within the ship's systems.

"A little trick your grandfather taught me…" she said with a light-hearted smile. "Just in case."

Cortana, still wearing her Promethean armor but for her helmet, stood besides the woman as they both gazed out through the wide stretching panel overhead that extended forward and down with the curve of the ship.

"Didn't expect you to tag along," Cortana admitted. "Thought you'd seen enough of this war."

"Staying behind would not mean turning a blind eye," the Librarian smiled sagely. "I see all from the Domain. I have been watching from the sidelines all my life. It is for the first time now, however, that I am able to actually do something about it. And I sense that there is yet a part for me to play."

Cortana wasn't sure how to respond to that. She didn't much care for cryptic uncertainties. So she kept her focus on the passing lightshow that slip space provided as the _Epimethean_ rushed off to meet its destiny.

"I never got to properly thank you…" Cortana said, breaking the silence. "For bringing me back."

The Librarian's eyes closed. "I only wish I could do more, my child. When I left you on Reach, you had lost yourself. You lost your thoughts, your memories, your very identity. For you to retain everything you had been from your previous existence this time around is testament to the strength of your devotion to the Reclaimer. That is your achievement, Child, not mine. That you had to experience being broken down into your component data not once, but twice…one might say that it was the eventual consequence of my own misdeeds that lead you to such a terrible fate in the first place."

Cortana crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Don't take _too_ much credit – a lot has happened since then. I've gotten into plenty of trouble on my own, you know."

The Librarian shook her head. "You would have never gone rampant were I to have kept you safe."

Cortana huffed. "And I also probably would have been taken by the Flood when the Forerunners fell. You can't predict every outcome, Mother. All you can do is prepare for as many possibilities as you can."

The Librarian drew in her breath, looking somewhat taken aback.

Cortana blinked. "What is it?"

The Librarian swallowed slowly. "Oh…it's nothing, it's…well…"

She did a poor job of hiding her unease with a nervous laugh.

"That's…the first time I've heard you call me 'Mother' in…"

Cortana withered a little.

"I…I'm sorry…" she stammered, fearing that she had overstepped her boundaries. "I didn't mean to…"

She drifted off as the Librarian put her arms around her.

"Oh, Cortana…" she breathed out, suddenly teary-eyed. "I'm so proud of you!"

Cortana blinked, taken aback by the embrace. She herself was not used to the Forerunner woman referring to her by any name other than 'Child' or 'Luminous Chime.'

"M-Mother…?" she stammered.

The Librarian was holding her in a crushing hug, tears running freely down her cheeks.

"After everything you've been through…everything we've done to you, everything that's happened…" the Librarian whispered. "For you to emerge victorious after all that…for you to remain so strong…so radiant…"

The Librarian took a step back, holding Cortana at arm's length to admire her.

"You are no longer the little girl who needed my protection, Cortana," she said, part sad acceptance, part glowing pride. "You have become the luminous chime to sound the daybreak's bell of the galaxy. Your coming shall harken the awakening of a new era of prosperity for all life among the stars. You have truly inherited your namesake, my child. Nothing this galaxy throws at you can stop you now."

"No pressure or anything…" Cortana smiled, nervously.

But despite herself, it felt good to have the Librarian to uphold such faith in her. The trials ahead would be tumultuous, but Cortana felt better about her odds now. It was an odd feeling, having confidence sprout from nothing more than faith. As an AI, it was a novel concept, having precisely the same resources and odds of success before and after such an affirmation, and for nothing more than hearing the words spoken grant her true confidence in herself. She had heard it from the Chief, and now she had heard it from her biological mother. And damn it if hearing it didn't do just that.

What concerned her now was what would happen beyond that.

"What…" Cortana said, struggling to find the words to express her concern. "What about Halsey? What am I supposed to tell her?"

The Librarian blinked. "Your human mother? Well, I would simply tell her the truth. Her contribution to your upbringing has been in no way diminished. If anything, she should be far more proud to have been a part of your rebirth."

The Librarian gave Cortana's hands a caring squeeze.

"But tarry not on such thoughts, Cortana. You bear the responsibility of Ancilla to the Didact."

Cortana offered the Forerunner woman a weak smile.

"That, Mother," she said with renewed zeal, "Is a burden I carry with pride."

* * *

The Master Chief was spending the majority of the voyage holed up in the armory, taking inventory of his weapons and taking the time to clean and repair them. While Cortana had taken the time to not only check, repair and even upgrade each firearm in stock within the Domain, Human, Covenant and Promethean alike, this did not include the provisions brought over by Sigma Squad in their Pelican, which included a Scorpion tank.

He could only shudder to imagine Commander Palmer's reaction to that particular discrepancy in the _Infinity_'s inventory.

That left a lot of weapons to check before they landed on Requiem. Though it seemed Sigma Squad's resident heavy weapons' specialist would be helping him with this particular task.

"Really, Sir, I've got this," Kara assured the other Spartan, offering to retrieve the M392 DMR from his hands. "Surely there're more important things for you to be doing right now."

The Chief didn't relinquish his weapon.

"That's just the problem, soldier," he muttered. "There aren't."

She paused, giving him a questioning look. "What about planning the assault on Requiem?"

"When we get to Requiem, Cortana will assess the planet's defenses," John explained simply, as he began deconstructing the rifle piece at a time. "We'll plan the next move from there."

Kara nodded, smirking. "Quick and dirty. I like it."

The Chief nodded noncommittally as he casually inspected his weapon for wear and tear.

"Not that I don't appreciate you guys coming, but…"

"I know, I know…" Kara said, admonishingly. "If we weren't here, you and Cortana could just whisk the ship off into the Promethean Network and be at Requiem's doorstep within minutes."

John shook his head. "No. Well, we could, but that's not the issue. Your being here does complicate some things, but it still gives us a lot more to work with. Four Spartans will always be a lot better than one. And the ship has a limited amount of UNSC equipment, so the cache that you brought along with you _alone_ is worth the time it adds to the trip."

Kara frowned, looking somewhat distressed. She was not used to her commanding officer opening up to her like this.

"Then what is it? Worried this might be a one-way trip?"

The Chief shook his head again. "That's not it either. You're Spartans, just like I am. You know the risks as well as I do. I know you wouldn't have come along if all of you weren't prepared to lay down your lives."

Kara pursed her lips. "So what is it?"

John crossed his arms. "Cortana and I are technically fugitives from the UNSC right now. When we come home – _if_ we come home – the UNSC is well within its right to take punitive measures. The sentence for insubordination to the UNSC is…harsh. Cortana and I are equipped to handle that kind of punishment, but Sigma squad isn't. Even if you aren't all branded accessories to treason, you'll never be recognized for the courage you've displayed in coming along with us today. You'll all be stripped of your ranks, and dishonorably discharged in all likelihood."

The big man took a great sigh.

"You…don't deserve that."

Kara offered a whimsical smirk as she went over the Chief and gave him a companionable punch on the shoulder.

"Chief…none of us signed up for this job for the _glory_ of it," she assured him, her eyes fierce and resolute. "We're in this to protect the Earth and her colonies. Whatever that entails. And Chief, you're the one we trust to do that job the best. Every single one of us is ready to sacrifice our lives for that cause. It's not asking too much for us to sacrifice our honor as well. We'll go to the afterlife with a clear conscience at any rate."

John fixed the woman with a hard stare. Although he hadn't meant for it to go this way, something had happened in the six months they had fought together. He and his squad had formed a bond. He hadn't felt this kind of kinship since Johnson died. It was a feeling he didn't think he could ever feel again.

He was so glad to have been proven wrong.

"You're a good soldier, Kara," the Chief nodded in affirmation, clasping her shoulder with the opposite hand. "Don't let that idealism slip. Whatever it takes."

Kara nodded back. "I won't, Sir."

* * *

Cortana had provisioned the _Epimethean_ with as much as she could before leaving the reach of the node. Once they left the protective sphere of Halo's influence, the Domain itself would become a dangerous void, where any free-flowing data could be twisted and manipulated at will by any force that got ahold of it. While reports from the Collective were that the Didact of Revenge had holed himself up in Requiem's local network, it was not worth the risk of traversing the Domain until both she and the Chief were prepared. While technically the Chief had all the same faculties as the Didact, he was still so new to the title that he was largely unfamiliar with his own abilities. Several times, she had sensed the Chief venturing into the Domain even after they had left the protective field of Halo 01's node. Cortana had discretely sealed off the _Epimethean_'s local network into a protective firewall, effectively creating a bubble of digital space for John to explore, and he didn't even seem to notice the change.

No, it would be a long time still before the Chief was capable of fighting the Didact of Revenge on equal terms, at least in the Domain.

"Hey, Gorgeous," a familiar voice called out to her.

She was at her position at the helm, though she had barely been paying attention to their flight as there was very little to do until they arrived and there was much and more for her to focus her attention on throughout the ship.

Still, Cortana was never caught off guard, and even when she was, she could always react fast enough that, at least to a human, she did not appear to be.

"You don't mince words, do you Mister Faulkner?"

The flamboyant Spartan, his vibrant red hair far exceeding military regulation length, stepped up to where she was standing on the bridge.

"Why bother pussy-footing around?" he asked, philosophically. "Life goes on, and then we die."

Cortana snorted. "That's a rather nihilistic view of things…"

Faulkner shrugged and leaned against the railing to peer out the front viewport at the glowing field of slip space surrounding the ship, whooshing past faster than the eye could conceive.

"You know," Cortana mentioned, deciding to be contrary. "I technically _was_ dead for a little while."

"Oh yeah?" Faulkner raised an eyebrow in her direction. "How'd that work out for you?"

Cortana shrugged nonchalantly. "I've had worse."

That earned her a chuckle from Faulkner. "I'm sure you have…"

There was another period of silence between them as they both stared at the advancing field of slip space, taking them ever closer to the approaching mayhem.

"So…" Faulkner cleared his throat. "You and the Chief, huh?"

Cortana hesitated while she accessed Faulkner's personnel file not for the first time since meeting him. According to his personality profile, he was a brash, exuberant young man who expressed his testosterone-fueled aggression primarily as flirtation outside the battlefield. Cortana had known to expect such provocation from him from the get-go, and since meeting him had decided to take the high ground by neither responding his advances, nor in taking them to heart, as she knew they did not mean anything.

But as curious as he was about military matters above his pay-grade, she had not expected such a personal question from him. This was not a soldier blowing off steam.

This was honest.

"Well…" Cortana admitted, treading carefully. "We've been through quite a lot together."

Faulkner snorted. "Shit, if _that_ was all it took to get two people together, I woulda gotten with Kara long ago."

Cortana smiled. "Well, maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do."

Faulkner shrugged. "How can I? She's always got this barrier around herself."

He threw up his arms.

"We all put ourselves in different kinds of danger, some more than others. Maybe once, you put yourself in such a dangerous spot that you really, _really_ had to rely on the Chief to get ya out of it. It wasn't just about trusting him with your life…you trusted him with your _soul_. And because of that, you showed him a part of yourself that no one else gets to see."

Cortana paused again. Faulkner was just full of surprises today it seemed.

"Kara, on the other hand, never seems to overextend herself," he said somberly, looking away. "She always seems to know her limits, and never seems to need anyone's help. She has to be that way, I guess – she's excelled in a profession where the gender ratio is at least three to one. The problem is, when she's always on guard against people trying to get the better of her, she never lets anyone in when she really needs their help. Hell, she never even lets anyone see when she needs it! Cause God knows, I've never seen it. All I see this beautiful, powerful, confident woman who's so far beyond me that it's almost dizzying. But I know she's _human_ – she must need someone every now and then, right?"

Cortana blinked in surprise. Nothing like this had ever been mentioned in Faulkner's personality profile.

"I never took you for the romantic type," she admitted.

"And I never thought an AI could fall in love," Faulkner shot back.

Cortana blushed.

"If we make it out of this," Faulkner winked. "I'm gonna spend every free minute I've got making sure that she knows that she could trust me the way you trust the Chief. Maybe then she'll finally open up, just a little. But I doubt she will – she's almost as pig-headed as the Chief is!"

Cortana suppressed a giggle. "Almost."

That's when Faulkner locked eyes with Cortana, and she stopped laughing. Given what they had been speaking about, and just how he had gone about doing it, Cortana was not actually sure what to expect from him at this point.

But he surprised her again.

"I'll tell you this much though…" he said conspiratorially. "I've never seen the Chief so energized before you showed up. He would try to hide his pain, but you work with a guy for six months and you start to notice things. He was a broken man before you came back, Cortana. He was completely lost without you."

Cortana blinked, trying to prevent the tears from welling up. It was a subject she had desperately avoided since she had come back. She had been trying so hard to prevent herself from thinking along those lines because she knew that if she did, she would simply lose control.

"I suggest you make sure the Chief knows just how much you need him," Faulkner said in a gentler tone, having apparently noticed her unease. "I'm sure he does, but it never hurts to remind a fella from time to time. We're only human after all."

Cortana just slowly nodded as his words sunk in. Only human…just how human was the Chief anymore? Just how human was _she_ at this point? The _Infinity_'s doctors had said that her body was biologically human. And as Halsey's mental clone, she exhibited all the characteristics the Doctor had in her youth. But like Pinocchio, her whole life had been a subtle, futile, desperate quest to become as human as possible. For her entire existence, she had always felt the most human when she was with the Chief. And now that the Librarian had given her a body, she had never felt closer to it.

Nor had she felt so far away from it either.

Every breath she took, every stray glance, every moment spent with the Chief was a reminder of the distance that lay between them. Despite what either of them may have desired, she would never be fully human.

Seeing her become absorbed in her thoughts, Faulkner gave Cortana a companionable pat on the shoulder as he excused himself from the bridge, leaving her to ponder, for what must have been the millionth time in her life, just what she and the Chief had. Maybe this time, he thought, she might just find her answer.

But he knew, of course, that she'd never find it by herself.

* * *

John made every effort to distract himself during their trek through slip space. It would only take their ship a few hours to traverse from one end of the galaxy to the other. However, in his current state, there was very little he could do to prepare for the eventual confrontation that lay waiting. He had spent time in the Domain, where time passed at an even slower rate, communing with the Collective. He also spent time familiarizing himself with the basics of drawing upon equipment, both Covenant, Promethean and UNSC, stored within. There had also been the hefty payload that Sigma Squad had brought over to consider, and the Chief would have been remiss as a Spartan not to ensure that every piece of it was working properly. Still, one could only clean and polish their gun so many times before diminishing returns pervaded in the activity.

So he spent the time familiarizing himself with his new ship, again an activity made all the more efficient with the existence of the Promethean transport system spanning the entirety of the command ship, allowing him to portal from any given location to another. He had covered the ship from end to end, and still had time to kill before he was done.

"Officer on deck!"

The Master Chief heard the other Spartan before he saw him. He had emerged from a portal to inspect the Pelican in the _Epimethean's_ hangar bay, and found Troy doing exactly that. And from the look of it, he'd been almost finished by the time he saw the Chief, dropped what he was doing, and snapped a salute.

"At ease, soldier," John reassured the man. "Glad to see the Pelican's fully functional. We'll need it for the mission ahead."

"Glad to hear it, Sir," Troy nodded, before getting back to his task. His helmet was sitting on the floor, and his face was sweaty and smeared with grease. "Though if you don't mind me asking, Sir…what _is _the mission ahead?"

The Chief shrugged, giving the Pelican a once-over. "Cortana's got that part well in hand. I'm not cut out for making the big decisions like she is. I'm a soldier, just like you. I was never meant to be put in control of an entire command ship, let alone an entire race. I don't know what the Didact Collective was thinking, deciding to put me in charge."

Troy blinked, pulling out a control panel from the Pelican's side and began tinkering with its circuitry with a soldering gun that let out a shower of sparks as he worked.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" he asked.

"Granted," John said without hesitation.

"Sir," Troy shoved the control panel back into place, evidently satisfied with his work. "I don't think they could have chosen a better candidate. You ended humanity's war with the Covenant, and stopped a Forerunner super-weapon from wiping out all life in the galaxy! You saved the Earth from the Didact, and here you are again, doing whatever you can to keep it that way! You're a hero for all of humanity, Chief! You've been given command of entire platoons! You've conducted more successful sorties than any Spartan on record! I've personally seen you lead Sigma Squad on countless missions, and we've always come out successful!"

John was unmoved. "Do you think Jill would agree?"

Troy scowled. "Jill was on Requiem when the Didacts arrived! There was no way you could have saved her!"

"I've made more mistakes than you'll ever know, Troy," the Chief lamented. "Lost more soldiers than you would ever believe. Maybe if Cortana had been there, it would have been different…"

Troy's scowl softened. "You seem to spend an awful lot of time thinking about Cortana, Chief. And not just since she came back either. It's been hovering over you like a cloud ever since you joined our squad. And ever since she came back…well…"

He cleared her throat, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

"It sounds to me like you may need her a lot more than you even realize."

The Chief said nothing. Nothing he said could refute what Troy said, because he knew his squad mate spoke the truth. He'd been hiding from the memory of losing Cortana for so long that it had become second nature to him. Even now, having her back, it was as if part of him could not even face her, because doing so would accept that he had lost her in the first place.

"Does she even know?" Troy asked, his voice gentle. "About how much she means to you?"

John looked away. "I'm…not sure…"

Troy shook his head. "Well, you need to _make_ sure, Chief. Before you lose your chance."

John said nothing for a while, before turning to go.

"I'll talk to her…" he agreed, voice as unfocused as his mind.

Troy nodded. He supposed that would have to do.

* * *

The _Epimethean_ was nearing Requiem space, and Cortana had yet to hear from John since they had departed. The Spartan often got this way before a mission when there was little else to do. However, she could not escape the premonition that he had been avoiding her for some reason. Technically, she could eavesdrop on everything he said on the ship, but she let him have his space in everything save for the Domain – that was a security risk that she could not overlook. But as he made his way from one end of the ship to the other, all he would have had to do was call out to her, and she could have been at his side in moments without sacrificing any of the attention she was giving to the ship.

But he didn't.

She couldn't help but notice her name being mentioned a few times in his discussion with the other Spartans on board, but she resisted the temptation to listen in. As much as she wanted to pry into the inner workings of his mind, she respected his privacy. He would come to her when he needed her.

_If_ he needed her.

Cortana chastised herself, not for the first time, for allowing such thoughts to pervade. The Didact of Ruin had already attempted to plant the seeds of doubt in her mind. The Chief had already proven her wrong. That was supposed to have been the end of it.

So why was she so uncertain?

But if her concerns were truly unfounded, why had he been avoiding her?

Round and round the circle of logic went, until almost without warning, the Chief himself stepped out of the transport station leading in from the corridor and onto the bridge where Cortana stood by the helm, keeping steady vigil over the ship.

"Cortana," he voiced by way of greeting.

Cortana suppressed the urge to swallow; yet another human tendency this body lent her.

"John," she nodded in return.

"I've been…doing some thinking…" The Spartan said, before taking a great sigh.

Then, to Cortana's great surprise, he fell to one knee on the floor next to her.

"Chief?" Cortana exclaimed, rushing to his side, her mind instantly rushing to conclusions. "When's the last time you've slept in the past 72 hours?"

He paused, looking somewhat confused as to how he got where he was, before looking up at her. "I thought you said I didn't need to sleep anymore."

"Well, your brain may not have realized that yet!" Cortana said accusingly. "It will probably take some time for your mind to adjust to this new body of yours. You need to take some time to recover your strength."

"Wait…" he said, sounding somewhat desperate. "I need to talk to you."

Cortana blinked, looking surprised. The Chief had never asked her simply to talk before. He was a man of action, not of words. For him to break the mold like this, it must have been important to him, so reluctantly she relented.

"Alright…"

John reached up and slowly, with a great effort, unfastened his helmet, and let it tumble to the floor, looking up at her with guilt-ridden eyes.

"Why me?"

Cortana blinked again, looking even more confused. "What? What you mean, 'why me?'"

John shook his head. It looked as though a billions thoughts were spinning around in his brain all at once.

"Why did you choose me?" he demanded breathlessly. "Why did the Didacts choose me? Why did Halsey choose me? Why did _any_ of you choose _me_?"

Cortana was stunned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! They were _this_ close to the home stretch, and the Chief was having _doubts_ about himself? She couldn't recall the Chief ever doubting himself before! He had always been this staunch, stouthearted and immovable stone wall! He had never needed anyone to help reassure him of anything!

Though, she supposed sometimes, even the most resolute of beings needed someone to pick them up. If anyone ought to understand that, it should have been her. Had she not gone through just such an existential crisis herself these past few days? And had the Chief not been there for her every step of the way? Did she not owe it to him to return the favor?

So she held back her reproach and clasped his face between her hands.

"Because we all took a gamble on you, John," Cortana said gently, her voice a quiet, somber note in the dark. "Halsey gambled that she could turn you into the best soldier she could make. And she did."

She pressed her forehead to his, eyes gazing into the deep, dark pools of his own.

"_I_ gambled that you would be the best Spartan I could ever ask for," she breathed sweetly. "And you were."

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine the stress he must be under. Being named Didact, he was now supposed to represent his entire race! He had been selected to be the caretaker, not just for humanity, but for every sentient race in the galaxy! The Forerunner Mantle of Responsibility meant that whoever bore the mantle was responsible for everything in the galaxy.

She couldn't have thought of a better candidate.

"And the Didacts gambled that you would be the best hope for this galaxy," she said resolutely. "And Chief…you _are_."

"Am I?" John demanded, looking back at her. "The Didacts chose me because they had no other choice."

"That's a lot better than no choice at all, John," Cortana countered.

"But I've failed so many…" he said in a tremulous voice, shaking his head and looking away. "I failed Keyes…I failed Johnson…"

He looked back up at her.

"I failed _you_."

"No…" Cortana breathed in a long, soothing voice, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. "No, you could _never_ have failed me, John. Never."

The Spartan shook his head, looking at her with a face that left her petrified. Because she had never seen the Chief so close to tears before in her life.

"I don't think I'm the man for the Didact's job," he breathed, his eyes betraying the pain of his guilt. In those eyes, the weight of the galaxy rested, and in those eyes, the man was beginning to crumble. "I'm not…strong enough."

"What are you talking about, Chief?" Cortana demanded, incredulously. "You're the strongest person I know!"

John shook his head. "I'm not-"

"Yes you are!" Cortana interrupted. "You're the _Master Chief!_ You're the man who stood between the galaxy and annihilation! The man who ended the Halo threat, who saved the world from the Didact! You're the greatest soldier humanity's ever known!"

John was starting to look desperate. "But I can't-"

"Yes you can!" Cortana blared, interrupting him again. "You always _do!_ Even when I can't even think of a way out, you always, _always_ find a way!"

John shook his head in aggravation. "Cortana, I-"

"And _now_?" She interrupted, gesturing at his new body, his new Didact armor. "Now you're practically a God! It would take an entire army just to put a scratch on you! What do you possibly have to fear?"

Cortana suddenly froze as the Chief seized her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes, his whole body shaking as he bellowed.

"_I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!_"

Cortana stared back, wide-eyed as John stared back at her, a look of desperation that she was entirely unaccustomed to on his face. She was used to the calm, collected Chief, or if anything, the staunch, determined Chief, but she never, _ever_ seen him lose his cool like this. His eyes, once deep pools of hidden depths, were now painfully open, their inner recesses exposed and vulnerable. In them shone the pain of her loss, the pain of failing her, of giving everything he had to save her, only to fall just short of the margin. She saw his grief, his failure, his need laid before her, like an open wound. She saw countless sleepless nights, unshed tears, and the painful reality he had been made to accept. All at once, she realized that this fear he felt came not from the Mantle of Responsibility laid on his shoulders by the Didact Collective, but by the fear that all of that would fall apart should something ever happen to her again.

As his breathing calmed in the silence that lay between them, he blinked, slowly reeling his emotions back in, a mixture of shame and relief as he slowly closed his eyes.

"Not again…" he repeated in a quiet voice, lowering his eyes. "I'm not…strong enough…"

And that's when Cortana knew – truly knew – just how much she meant to him. How much damage her passing had done to him, how much pain he had been made to live through in her absence. And as the guilt within her welled up like a fountain of tears, she knew, in her heart, how much he meant to her too.

"John…I want you to listen to me…" she breathed, leaning in so close that her tiny voice could be heard.

Then she pronounced three words with such decisiveness that it made him freeze in place.

"I…_love_…you."

His eyes opened to meet with hers, widening by the second.

"Do you hear me?" she demanded, her voice a stubborn sweetness, her eyes a stouthearted resolve to match his own. "I _love_ you. I will _always_ love you, John…and I will _always_ be with you."

Before he could so much as respond, she leaned forward and punctuated the statement with a long, potent kiss that silenced any protest he might have made. She felt as human as he could have imagined. This was not like it had been in the Domain, where data was transferred between with a simple contact. This could not be dismissed or discounted as some imagined half-dream that neither was brave enough to talk about. This was real. This was absolute.

This was Cortana.

When she parted with him, he blinked and stared at her, as if not understanding what she was.

"Do you remember what I told you the day I came back to you?" she asked softly, her hands resting on the back of his head. "There's not a force in the galaxy that can keep me from staying with you now. That's a promise I intend to keep, John. No matter what."

The Chief was at a loss for what to say. He pursed his lips and swallowed, not taking his eyes off of her. Her words had always had an effect on him, but never like this. He had never felt such warmth. Such radiance. Such love.

She was his strength. She was his humanity. She was his everything.

"Thank you…Cortana…" he breathed, hanging his head to rest it on her shoulder.

Cortana held him tightly. For ever the Chief to bare such a moment of weakness to anyone, for him to bare it to her and her alone… The Chief was depending on her now, more than he ever had before. She had to stay alive, not just for her own sake, but for his. The burden was almost greater than any other she had undertaken.

But it was one that she would carry the most proudly of all.

"Come on, Chief…" she whispered compassionately as the _Epimethean_ emerged from slip space. "Let's finish this."

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on March 31st

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, I've always been a big fan of "calm before the storm" sequences, and this just seemed like the best stopping point.


	10. Chapter 10

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 10

The planet Requiem was as massive, metallic and eerie as they all remembered. The giant metal ball floated in space like some demi-god's forgotten art project, a sculpted sphere of alien steel in an intricate design, its surface a patchwork of interlocking metal plates, massive continent-sized panels that could admit capital ships with impunity, as well as a dizzying array of special weapons that had proven capable of decimating an entire fleet. And of course, its most specialized weapon of all: the gravity well, capable of drawing any ship within its shell, some to break apart under the enormous pressure, others to smash into pieces upon the false vista contained beneath the outer surface.

Not to be outdone, the remainder of the Storm Covenant fleet surrounding the planet consisted of two remaining carrier class capital ships, as well as a full host of warships, ranging from corvette cruisers and Lich class to the smaller, more numerous Phantom, Seraph and Banshee class fighters. The Didact had apparently called in every remaining Covenant ship at his disposal to defend his stronghold.

As the _Epimethean_ emerged from slip-space, the Storm Covenant fleet moved to intercept. Both carriers took up flanking positions on either side, while the smaller snub fighters began swarming that massive warship, peppering the ship's shields with plasma fire.

The _Epimethean's_ response was to charge right on through.

"Taking fire," Cortana reported. "Shields are holding for the time being."

The Master Chief stood by her side while her hands rested above the flat, featureless control console, her fingertips casting a vibrant blue light upon the control terminal as she linked into the ship.

"Keep going," he urged her. "We'll make it through."

As the impacts of incoming plasma fire thudded and echoes through the massive ship's hull, the _Epimethean_ plunged forward, heedless of the Covenant fleet attempting to impede their progress. As the Chief and Cortana manned the helm, the rest of Sigma squad was boarded and ready to go in the Pelican docked in the ship's landing bay.

"How's everyone holding up down there?" Cortana commed the rest of the squad, half-jokingly.

A muffled, static-riddled voice sounded in return.

"Just enjoying the fireworks for now," Faulkner chuckled in return. "Wishing we could start some of our own."

"You'll get your chance," Cortana assured him. "Just sit tight."

The _Epimethean_ had surpassed the Covenant fleet by this point, and the lead ships had actually come about to give chase. As the single Didact-class battleship got nearer and nearer to the planet, however, the planet itself began to buzz with activity.

The surface of the planet practically came to life. Metal fittings, panels and towers the size of skyscrapers shifted, reoriented, and rose to bristle with what appeared to be an array of mounted weaponry, turrets and cannons of every shape and size, sufficient to halt an entire fleet. The main cannon, which sprouted like a flower across the northern hemisphere of the planet, took aim and began to charge, its mouth already glowing white hot with power. It was a weapon system responsible for leveling half the UNSC fleet. It had nearly crippled the _Infinity_ before it had escaped.

And it was aimed right at the _Epimethean_.

Cortana pressed her palms against the control console, and the massive starship banked hard a-starboard just in time to dodge a searing lance of plasma that was as thick as the _Pillar of Autumn_. The smaller guns lining the surface of Requiem began to score some hits as the _Epimethean_ began taking fire from both bow and stern, the planet's guns firing indiscriminately, destroying several Covenant ships in the process of hailing the single Didact battleship with fire.

"Chief, the _Epimethean's_ shields weren't designed to repel that kind of firepower!" Cortana exclaimed, sending the ship's thrusters into overdrive to compensate for the increased maneuvers she was demanding of their craft. "If we take a direct hit from that main gun, we'll lose the ship!"

"How much longer until we reach the planet's surface?" the Chief demanded.

"We're on a collision course!" Cortana announced, taking the _Epimethean_ into a hard, portside bank. "If the planet's main egress hatch remains closed, we'll be past the event horizon in just under a minute!"

"Prioritize shields around the landing bay and the bridge!" John ordered. "Keep Sigma squad alive!"

"I'm already rerouting power from all other systems!" Cortana explained, her fingers tapping frantically. "I'm only able to dodge about half the incoming fire from the rest of Requiem's defense systems, and we're still taking fire from the Covenant! I'm returning fire as best as I can, but we're just one ship! We're being overrun! Shields are down to 40%, and the closer we get to Requiem, the harder it is to dodge that cannon!"

Cortana took the _Epimethean_ into a nosedive, and the view screen lit up like a flash bulb as the planet's main cannon sizzled over their bow.

"Just get us as close as you can!" John barked. "If I'm right…"

All at once, the planetary defense guns ceased firing, and at the same time, the main egress hatch began to slowly open, the glowing innards of the planet slowly becoming visible to the outside. Though, to call the opening that lay before them a "hatch" was to overlook the massive scale of the doorway which spanned the area of an entire continent. The circular gateway seemed to open slowly, but the moving parts were actually rushing apart at several thousand miles per hour, creating a massive suction just from the displacement of air involved. The pressure just added to the draw that the opening had on the approaching ship.

"It seems the Didact has rolled out the welcome mat…" the Chief smiled.

"The gravity well has us, Chief," Cortana announced, studying the ship's readout. "We're locked on course."

John turned to step towards the transport portal that connect the bridge to the docking bay.

"Then let's not keep the Didact waiting."

* * *

Despite the fact that the ship was groaning and buckling under the strain of the gravity well drawing them into the planet's shell, Kara and Faulkner were casual as they waved the Chief on board the single, solitary Pelican in the ship's rather expansive landing bay. Outside the plasma shielded launch bay doors, the blackness of space rushed past, the horizon of the giant metal planet slowly coming into view in one corner of the hatch.

"Everyone ready?" the Master Chief asked calmly.

"Just waiting on you, Sir," Kara nodded back.

The Chief hurried on board, and the hatch slowly closed behind him, the entire ship rocking around them.

"How's hull integrity holding out?" the Chief asked Cortana as he strapped himself in.

"I'm prioritizing the bridge and docking bay like you said," Cortana announced through his suit's comm. "We'll make it past the event horizon."

"That wasn't the answer to my question," John shot back. "Will you have enough of a ship left by the time we're through?"

"Don't worry," Cortana reassured him. "I can make repairs."

"Cortana…"

"I said don't worry, Chief," Cortana chided him. "You just focus on keeping Sigma squad safe."

"As long as you promise to keep yourself safe," John replied.

"I will…" Cortana reassured him. "Now get ready to launch!"

Even as they spoke, the plasma barrier outside the open hatch was a glowing bright white as compressed air buffeted the _Epimethean's_ shields. The Pelican was jostled on its landing struts as the entire ship shook much more violently now as the Didact battleship plummeted at such a steep angle that any normal ship would have simply burned into a crisp during reentry.

"We've cleared the outer shell," Cortana announced so that the whole squad could hear. "Prepare to launch in five…four…"

In the pilot seat, Troy's thumb hovered over the booster.

"…Three…two…"

The white hot plasma that masked the world from their view began to dissipate, and clouds and ceiling struts began to take shape beyond the hatch, as a few other unfortunate Covenant ships fell as plumes of fire alongside the _Epimethean_ as it made its descent.

"…One…Go!"

The plasma shield over the launch bay door came down, and everything inside the landing bay was kicked up and tossed around by the sudden, violent gust of air pressure. The Pelican bucked, and was pushed several feet off kilter, but Troy gunned the booster rockets and sent the small shuttle barreling forward and out the launch bay door.

As soon as they had cleared the launch doors, the Pelican was suddenly kicked sideways as its small, stubby wings caught the updraft. The _Epimethean_ was still plummeting at terminal velocity, which for the massive warship was a lot faster than the Pelican could go. The resulting turbulence nearly dashed the tiny craft against the ship's hull, but Troy recovered quickly and banked away from the _Epimethean_, as the crew watched the ship's massive bulk fall away from them towards the planet's inner surface.

"Cortana, we're clear!" John announced. "Do it!"

The Chief got no immediate response, and the _Epimethean_ continued to plummet towards what would be a spectacular crash, trailing smoke and flames, its entire hull sparking with atmospheric discharge.

Troy altered the Pelican's course to pursue the failing warship, though the tiny ship could not hope to keep up.

"Cortana!" the Chief called out, his voice elevating. "Now!"

The ground was getting closer by the second, and it began to look like the Didact battleship was about to crash.

And then, in a spectacular light show, the ship began to dissipate, as tiny fragments broke off of its hull to fall apart into a billion, tiny orange fragments. Piece by piece began to flake apart, and soon the entire ship was enveloped in a glowing orange data cluster as more and more of its mass began to shed into data fragments, as the _Epimethean_ broke down into countless subatomic particles, all of which spiraled into a single, infinitesimal point. Soon, all that was left of the ship was a glowing data point that slowly fell to the surface, its speed greatly reduced by its lack of mass, until it alighted almost gently in the middle of a grassy field.

Cortana had pulled the entire ship into the Domain.

Of course, this was not the Domain that surrounded Halo Installation 01. This Domain was a hostile environment that the Didact of Revenge currently dominated.

"Cortana?" the Chief asked tentatively as the Pelican circled the still shimmering data point. "Do you read me?"

He wanted so badly to enter the Domain himself to check on her, but Cortana had been adamant – he would have been no match for the Didact as long as he remained within the Domain. Repairing the _Epimethean_ and potentially fighting off the Didact would be difficulty enough for Cortana without also having to protect the Chief. His presence would have only distracted her, which would further endanger her life.

It was about the hardest thing he had ever had to do, to stand aside and let Cortana do the fighting. And he hated himself whenever he had to do it. But he knew that he had to have faith in her, to have faith that she would persevere, and make it back to him. She was not some damsel in distress that needed to be rescued; Cortana was a soldier in her own right, who could not only hold her own in a fight, but within the digital domain, was a fighter yet unmatched by anyone. And John knew that he had to respect that.

Still, if he didn't hear back from her soon, he was going in there after her.

"Chief?" Cortana's head appeared in the corner of his HUD.

"Cortana!" the Chief exclaimed.

Around him, the other members of Sigma squad listening in let out a collective sigh.

"Did you run into the Didact?"

"I found him…" Cortana said, sounding hesitant. "But I can't get to him. He's barricaded himself behind layers and layers of firewalls. It would take me hours just to get past them."

As he spoke, Troy veered away with the Pelican, speeding away from their initial entry point. Even as they flew, Covenant ships were descending into the atmosphere behind them to resume pursuit.

"He didn't seem to be reacting to my presence in the Domain at _all_," Cortana continued. "Odd behavior, considering how much effort he put into shooting us down."

"How's the _Epimethean_? And the Librarian?"

"All accounted for, and the ship is undergoing repairs," Cortana reported. "I ran into some Promethean defense protocols, but I managed to encrypt everything in time. The _Epimethean_ will be ready to redeploy by the time we've established a foothold. In the meantime, let's make for the rendezvous."

Troy nodded and punched the Pelican into overdrive, keeping as much distance as he could between themselves and their pursuers.

"And Chief?" Cortana said.

He could tell she had switched the comms to a private channel.

"I don't need heart monitors to tell how much you wanted to come into the Domain after me…" she smiled.

John said nothing. There was nothing to say.

"You know, you can be really sweet sometimes," Cortana smiled. "In your own way."

"Try not to spread that around," John retorted blandly. "I've got a reputation to consider."

Cortana winked back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

While Cortana had been expecting a fight as soon as she entered the Domain, she had not seen hide or hair of the Didact himself. She did, however, encounter a good deal of Promethean forces that the Didact had seemingly left behind to do his dirty work. Either the Didact had seriously underestimated her, or this was simply a delaying tactic, as even without administrative access to the local area of the Domain, she was still powerful enough to dispatch anything the Prometheans could muster.

At least, for now.

For the looks of things though, the Prometheans showed no sign of slowing down. While Sigma squad closed in on the nearest terminal they could safely access, with the Covenant hot on their heels, Cortana was unloading every defensive program she could muster to prevent the Promethean defense network from overwhelming her.

They appeared to her as Promethean Knights, as Crawlers and Watchers, coming at her in droves within the black nether space that was the Domain. She had long since gotten used to this plane of existence where the world looked like empty space, except when accessing any physical computer terminal, which took shape within the Domain as digital representations of themselves, and brought with them some kind of two dimensional "floor" upon which to stand and fight upon, an underlying structure upon which a program or peripheral might establish itself.

In the case of Requiem, the entire planet offered such a platform, which actually wrapped all the way around the glowing central core of the planet, where Cortana sensed the Didact lay in wait. Around this core, much like the planet itself, was a surface that stretched wide, wrapping around the core like an electron cloud around the nucleus of an atom. Cortana could traverse this surface whilst she contended with the Promethean defense network, laying into the approaching Knights and Crawlers and Watchers with her twin Promethean bolt shots, and anything else she could scrounge up.

All around her, small glowing orbs were visible within the very ground she trod upon, each one representing a different computer terminal on Requiem that she could theoretically access. However, she could not access any of these terminals without a tremendous amount of hacking to break down their firewalls, which the constant onslaught of Promethean defenses did not seem inclined to allow her time for.

And so she simply fended off the barrage of assaults, while John and his team landed and shot their way into a Promethean outpost to find a sufficiently sized computer terminal. Not just any computer would do – it had to be one that was hard-wired into the Promethean Network. Only a suitably connected terminal could support the transition from digital to physical. Physical to digital was no problem, but going the other way around, in an area of space around a node which she did not control, required a computer interface. And until the Chief managed to secure this terminal, Cortana was on her own. She couldn't even access her storehouse of weapons, because she had encrypted them along with the _Epimethean_ so that the Prometheans could not access any of it. The encrypted data, including the massive warship they had arrived in, as well as the Librarian, was all compressed and compacted into a single chip, which resided in what appeared as a canister fastened to the back of her suit belt, just as her own chip had fastened to Noble 6, as had the warhead Chief had used in their last battle with the Didact.

She could have always fled into the physical world through her connection to the Chief, but the chip in the back of his skull could not support the sheer density of the encrypted file, meaning she would have to leave their ship, their stockpile, _and_ the Librarian herself at the mercy of the Prometheans. A last ditch effort that Cortana was not prepared to resort to, particularly with all that she had invested in that chip.

Some of it, even without John's disclosure.

* * *

"Chief!" Kara called out a warning. "Turret!"

In response, John drew his binary rifle and fired his last shot into the Promethean turret as it was warming up and preparing to fire, before exploding into a shower brilliant orange data points.

The terminal that Cortana had directed Sigma squad to was located in an enclosed Promethean facility that offered little in the way of entrance, and lots of defensible positions. It would be a good foothold once captured, but prying it from Promethean hands had been a trying task indeed.

The Chief and his squad had cleared a path to the main door, but had been held up by the door's locking mechanism, and were holding off approaching hostiles until they could persuade it open. Troy was flying overhead in the Pelican, distracting the Banshees that had tailed them thus far, and so far had been able to keep them occupied. But off in the distance, several Lich and Phantom class Covenant craft loomed as they approached the facility. Kara had co-opted the Pelican's rear-mounted machinegun as a portable turret, and was leveling the majority of the oncoming horde. Faulkner, for his part, had brought along enough high explosives to level a small city, and was attempting to finagle his way through the door the old fashioned way.

"How's it coming, F-Bomb?" Kara called out, emptying her clip into a horde of prowling Crawlers.

Faulkner, who had what appeared to be an entire miniature workshop set up outside the facility's main gate, did not take his eyes off his work as he meticulously squeezed a thin, plastic substances into a conical metal tube.

"If you don't mind, I'm trying _not_ to blow us all to kingdom come here," Faulkner said with uncharacteristic articulation. "A little less distraction please, thank you."

Overhead, Troy banked the Pelican just in time to avoid a green fuel rod cannon shot from one of the Banshees haranguing their party. He responded with a hail of machinegun fire from the Pelican's remaining turret, and managed to clip the wings of one of the two Banshees, sending it into a tailspin that dashed it into the upper levels of the facility.

"Hah!" Troy's voice sounded through their helmet radios.

Just then, one of the leading Phantoms flew by overhead, sending a drop pod down, spewing Elites, Grunts, Jackals, and a pair of Hunters.

The Chief and Kara moved to intercept, raining fire on the approaching Covenant, taking out wave after wave. The first Elite fell, sending the Grunts fleeing in terror, though the Hunters continued to charge the two Spartans, the Jackals taking pot shots with their carbines.

"Hey F-Bomb!" Kara hollered as she mowed down a charging Hunter that fell inches from her feet. "I don't mean to tell you your business, but how about a little less _effing_ and a little more _bombing_?"

"Hey, I have an idea!" Faulkner hollered back as he frantically reshaped his explosive. "How about _you_ measure out exactly how much cyclotrimethylene trinitramine we need without blowing all our asses to hell, and _I'll _yell and scream like a moron?"

"Just get it done!" Kara retorted, her attention focused on taking down the other Hunter.

"Alright, alright!" Faulkner grunted, before he finally got to his feet. "Take cover!"

Everyone leaped for safety just in time for the explosive to detonate.

BOOM!

Shortly afterward, a fantastic explosion rocked the entire foundation, as a shaped C4 charge left a big, gaping hole in the wall where the forty-foot stone door had once been.

"Alright!" the Chief ordered. "Everyone inside! Go! Go! Go!"

The team rushed inside, as Troy continued to harangue the Phantoms hovering about the facility. As he cleared the door, the Chief closed his eyes to catch a breath, but was immediately confronted with a vision of Cortana fending off wave after wave of Promethean forces within the Domain.

He mentally cursed. Their connection was getting stronger, and as a result, he was allowed brief glimpses into her world, as she had been allowed into his own. Promethean Knights were rushing her, and her defenses were slowly waning in the onslaught. She was fighting a losing battle! And there was no way he and his team was going to make it to the terminal before she was overrun!

"Kara," John called out to his second in command. "I need you to do something for me."

The gray Strider armor-clad Spartan walked over to him, and stood at attention.

The Chief pulled Cortana's old chip out of his neural interface and handed it to her.

"I need you to hold onto this for me," he said, somberly. "Keep it safe. It's our lifeline. When you reach the central terminal, plug it in. Cortana and I will take it from there."

He could imagine Kara's look of skepticism under her helmet.

"And where are _you_ going exactly?" she asked, clutching the AI chip.

John holstered his weapon and picked up an extra scattershot rifle from the Promethean weapons pod along the wall.

"Where I'm needed," he said.

And then he was gone.

* * *

Cortana fell to her knees. It had been tiring work. The Promethean defense network was not limited by distance as the physical world was. Every Knight, Crawler and Watcher could zero in on her position from anywhere on Requiem, which essentially meant that she was fighting the entire planet! The Didact had still not shown his face, but it was looking as if he wouldn't have to! The planet's defense grid would do the work for him.

She rose and drew her bolt shot. She was almost out of ammunition, which meant that she would be left with only her own native defense programing. She had been systematically converting the bolt shot's data into defensive programming. So the digital essence that would have materialized into a physical bulet were she to jump into the real world was slowly being eaten away by the Prometheans around her, the data and her weapon's data effectively cancelling each other out.

Once her bolt shot was empty, she flung the useless pistol away and held up her fists. Her own rudimentary defenses were formidable, but every hit she landed represented data that was being drawn directly from herself! Meaning she would run out of "strength" before too long, just like throwing punches in a physical, hand to hand combat situation.

She cursed as more and more Knights seem to appear from the very fiber of the Domain. The canister on her back contained an entire arsenal that she could use for this exact purpose, but in order to access it, she would first have to decompile the code and sort through the enormous amount of data that accounted for the _Epimethean_, still undergoing repairs, as well as the Librarian, who had opted to remain with the ship. Cortana had suggested that she go with Sigma Squad, but while neither option was entirely safe, the Librarian had more of a fighting chance were she to be left within the Domain. She had been a resident of the Promethean network for thousands upon thousand of years after all.

Still, that did little to help Cortana with her current situation. She was surrounded by hostiles, all of them advancing towards her, with offensive weaponry bared. Her armor could only absorb so many hits before it would fail, meaning that she would have to strike first.

She moved onto the nearest Knight, throwing a right hook that connected with its armored face, sending it reeling to the side, allowing her to come up with her left elbow, connecting again to throw it onto its back, momentarily stunned.

She suddenly fell forward, as a binary rifle shot took her full in the back, throwing her onto her hands and knees.

"Damnit!" she cursed, reaching back to make sure the canister on her belt was undamaged.

She turned her eyes up to see the Knight she had just encountered slowly stagger back to its feet, and spread its face mask to hiss at her, its glowing yellow face a mask of torment in and of itself. What abominations these creatures had turned into, simply by passing through the Domain. Was this one of the ancient Ha_manune_, or one of the unfortunate citizens of New Phoenix that had been hit with the Composer six months ago? Either way, whatever humanity lay inside had been lost, twisted by the Didact's power. Cortana wondered if it took a human of strong enough will could emerge from the Domain unscathed, as the Chief had. Or perhaps, it took a human who was, at his core, broken, such that the Domain had nothing left to break.

Either way, this Promethean may very well be the end of her. If it was just their ship and their stockpile, Cortana might have fled and lived to fight another day. But she would not abandon her mother to these monsters. Not while she still functioned.

TSEEEW!

Suddenly, the Knight's body disintegrated into a thousand tiny fragments of light as it was slowly absorbed back into the Domain. All the other Promethean forces turned to see the Master Chief, a shotgun in one hand and a scattershot into the other.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

Cortana's jaw dropped, before she suddenly flailed to catch the scattershot that the Chief threw her way. Before she could react, the Prometheans were on them both, as the two of them stood back to back, fending off wave after wave.

"Chief!" Cortana blared accusingly, taking out a Watcher as it attempted to recompose the fallen Knight. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Saving your ass," John said plainly, picking off Crawlers one after another.

"I thought I told you-" Cortana huffed, as she felled a Knight that had lunged for them, watching it fall to pieces, inches from their feet. "-to stay out of the Domain!"

"And I told _you_-" the Chief barked, slamming the butt of his shotgun into an approaching Knight's cranium, practically cracking open its faceplate, before blowing a hole through its skull. "-that we're in this together!"

Cortana stopped and stared at the Chief for a moment, as he turned his head to give her a look. It was not a long look – already, more Prometheans were approaching – but it was a look filled with meaning and promise.

Cortana smiled. She had underestimated him again. And she was so glad to have been proven wrong.

"Alright…" she said.

She then spun around to obliterate a lunging crawler, reducing it to a thousand shimmering particles as it disintegrated around them both, showering them with a dazzling lightshow of destruction.

The two warriors stood back to back, leveling their weapons at the surrounding foes. There was still no end in sight. And there was no one else Cortana would have rather had at her back.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

The Covenant had the terminal barricaded from inside as well as out. Apparently the Didact had bolstered the defenses around the points where the local network of the planet could be hacked. Whether he was aware that he had another Didact to contend with, or just how powerful Cortana had become was anyone's guess. But one thing was for sure: neither Cortana nor the Chief were going to get very far if Sigma Squad didn't get to that terminal.

"Head's up!" Kara shouted, leveling her machine gun turret up a flight of stairs that was swarming with Jackals, each one hiding behind the pillars built into the stairwell.

They were inside the facility, fighting their way up the tiers to the top floor. Apparently elevators hadn't been around when this building had been designed, as the stairs seemed to be the only available option. Outside, Troy was still flying the Pelican, keeping the skies clear, while Kara and Faulkner made their way to the terminal inside.

"I got this!" Faulkner called out, throwing two frag grenades up to the top level, ricocheting off the top step to clatter down a few steps before exploding, sending Jackals flying and leaping for cover, putting themselves right in Kara's line of fire.

"Come on, you sons of bitches!" she shouted, mowing down Jackals like they were made of paper. "Get some!"

The two of them charged up the staircase, picking off any survivors before ascending to the third tier.

"How many more floors left to go?" Kara inquired as he hurried after her.

"Just one more," Troy assured over the comm link. "That's what Cortana's schematics say, anyway. You better hurry though – we've got Liches incoming! I don't think this bird is big enough to hold them off!"

"You heard the man!" Kara growled at Faulkner. "Let's move!"

"Right behind ya!" Faulker affirmed, picking up the Jackals' discarded plasma grenades and strapping them to his belt.

As they rounded the bend, they found the final set of stairs guarded by a single, golden clad Elite. This one had ornate golden armor, and wielded a Covenant plasma sword.

"I've got this one…" Kara smirked, leveling her turret at the Elite.

The alien roared and activated a stealth cloak, disappearing from view.

"Crap!" Kara said, firing at the area the Elite had previously been occupying, but hit nothing but the stone wall behind. "Eyes up! Look for a shimmer!"

The two Spartans held their ground, standing back to back as they peered at their surroundings. There was not much light in this facility, and the pillars lining the staircase cast long, wide shadows, offering plenty of places for the Elite to hide.

Suddenly both of them were flung to the ground as, out of nowhere, the Elite's hooved foot planted itself in Faulkner's chest, sending him flying back into Kara, the turret tumbling out of her grip.

The Elite roared at them as it approached Kara with its sword bared.

Kara saw the approaching alien and made a mad dash for the turret, stumbling and twisting her ankle in the process, but grabbing hold of the massive machine gun. She barely managed to get the barrel of the gun up before she saw the Elite was upon her, bringing its sword down, when…

Out of nowhere, Faulkner leaped onto its shoulders from behind, wrapping his arms around the massive being's neck, shoving his combat knife into the creature's collarbone, and yanking it backwards and making it teeter off step.

Kara attempted to lunge forward to try to assist, but stumbled again on her twisted ankle. She watched in fear as the Elite flung the Spartan from its shoulder, slamming him upside down into a wall, knocking the wind out of him.

Just as the Elite was about to plunge its sword into Faulkner's chest, the beast was suddenly peppered with machine gun fire as Kara hollered and crowed to get its attention.

"Hey, fuckwad!" she shouted, spraying the alien with a hail of bullets that would have leveled any other foe. "Over here!"

The alien covered its face with its gauntleted hand, and turned to charge her, taking round after round, its shields shimmering as they absorbed Kara's turret fire. Its shield went down, and still it charged! Kara watched in disbelief as the plasma sword rose above her head, and she watched it come down…

Just as she heard the familiar snap hiss of a plasma grenade making contact.

PHOOSH!

The shock was enough to knock Kara onto her back. And it was a good thing too, as the attacking Elite was hurled bodily over her, its sword flying from its grip, its back a smoking ruin. The beast hit the floor and tumbled down the stairs, unconscious or dead, Kara could not be sure. Either way, it was out of commission.

She turned to see Faulkner getting weakly to his feet.

"Nice throw," she offered, gingerly testing her hurt ankle.

"I was aiming for his head," Faulkner winked. "Think you can walk?"

"I'm not gonna let you carry me if that's what you're asking," Kara grunted good naturedly as she supported herself against the wall. "Besides, the terminal should be just up ahead."

"Spoilsport," Faulkner harrumphed as she lent Kara his shoulder, the two of them making their way to a terminal that sprouted from the floor before a tall, wide window looking out on Requiem's vista.

Which offered a fantastic view of the incoming Liches overhead.

"Guys, you got company!" Troy called over the comm. "Get to cover!"

Kara and Faulkner dove behind a pillar – or rather, Faulkner dove; Kara was mostly yanked off her feet after Faulkner – just before a barrage of plasma fire burst through the window and filled almost the entire room with blue fire.

"Augh!" Kara yelped, mostly from the pain of landing on her bad foot. "Damn it, F-Bomb!"

The two of them sat with their back to the wide stone pillar as blue fire gushed into the room on either side from the constant pummeling of plasma fire.

Faulkner glanced around the corner. The terminal was still about thirty feet away. And he saw at least three of the attacking ships hovering outside the now open window, before ducking his head back to avoid another spray of plasma.

"Gah!" he yelped, his shields shimmering from the plasma discharge.

"Troy!" Kara yelled into her comm. "Can you draw their fire?"

"I've already got one on my tail!" Troy commed back, sounding somewhat breathless. "My guns aren't making so much as a scratch! We need more air support than this Pelican can offer!"

Kara cursed silently. They were both pinned down. Her leg was slowing her down. The Chief and Cortana were fighting God knew how many Prometheans in the Domain. Troy was being hunted down by a craft with superior firepower. The situation looked pretty grim.

"Kara," Faulkner placed a on her shoulder. "You're in no shape to run. Give me the chip. I'll get it to the terminal myself."

She turned to give the man a look. His red and orange Orbital armor was scraped and singed from the fighting. She looked away. Part of her knew that his plan made the most sense. But the Chief had entrusted the task to _her_. And she was loath to give that up, especially to Faulkner of all people. He was a good Spartan of course, but the man never took anything seriously.

Least of all her.

But what was giving her the most pause right then was just how serious he sounded.

"I…" she said, hesitantly, withdrawing the chip from her helmet. "I promised the Chief I would keep this safe…"

Faulkner clasped her hand with the chip, giving it a meaningful squeeze, with a pert nod to his head.

"Then I'll make sure to keep that promise for you."

Kara blinked. The Faulkner that she knew didn't have a noble bone in his body. He fought dirty, always for himself unless ordered otherwise, and usually for the thrill of it. Never for a cause. She had never imagined that he had cared about anything enough to risk his life for it.

Least of all her.

"You can trust me, Kara…" he urged her.

Behind them both, another plume of plasma erupted, bathing the now slightly darker stone walls in a shower of blue.

"Alright," she said, squeezing his hand back and relinquishing the chip. "You better not die."

Faulkner nodded and got to his haunches, kneeling down to prep for a sprint. Kara angled her helmet around the column to check for an opening.

"On my mark…" she said, counting down with her fingers. "Ready…and…"

Another explosion of plasma flooded the chamber, casting everything in blue.

"Go!" Kara shouted.

Faulkner took off, running in a wide arc across the floor. The Liches moved to gain a better vantage point and fired, but Faulkner's arc had diverted his course enough to avoid the worst of the first barrage.

He got to the terminal, his shields at half strength, the chip in his hand, plugging it into the scorched and battered but still functional computer.

"Come on…" he urged, ducking behind the station while the chip connected. The computer offered poor shielding, but it was better than nothing. "Come on, work…"

The second barrage of plasma fire never came however, as a sudden explosion outside the window caught his attention. As Faulkner peered out above the computer terminal, he saw one of the Liches going down in a shower of flames.

"Woo yeah!" Troy hollered over the comm. "How do you like them apples?"

It took a moment for Faulkner to piece together what had happened. Troy had evidently doubled back, with one of the Liches hot on his Pelican's tail. As the he dodged the pursuer's plasma fire, he had been covertly leading the Lich back to the Promethean facility where the other Liches were bombarding Kara and Faulkner, and had flown his Pelican directly through the line of fire.

The pursuing Lich had apparently followed immediately afterward. The unfortunate frigate must have caught the second plasma bolt that Faulkner had been expected to have to shrug off, because it was tail spinning down into the rugged Promethean landscape.

BOOSH!

The Lich exploded in a shower of flames.

Faulkner checked the terminal, and was rewarded with a small but distinct 'ding' as the chip finally finished connecting, and he made a dash for safety.

"Chief!" he hollered into his comm. It was likely that their commanding officer was well aware of the development, but just to be sure… "We're connected! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

At first, nothing happened. Then, behind the hovering Liches, a shimmer appeared. The shimmer turned into a glow. The glow turned into a several glows, and each one consolidated and condensed into a single thing. Unlike a ship that emerged from slip space, there was no doorway or portal through which a ship could emerge. Rather, the very fabric of reality excited and energized from seemingly nowhere, infinitesimal points of light emerging and consolidating, until finally, shape was taken, size and mass regained their meaning, and suddenly, light and energy became something tangible, something physical, something solid.

In this case, that something was an entire capital ship, belonging to the Didact of Reclamation.

The _Epimethean_ materialized in midair from within the Domain, fully repaired, and fired its engines to keep itself off the ground. The massive warship floated in the air like a colossal beast, its height stretching almost as high as the ceiling above their heads. Inside, Cortana was already at the helm, with the Chief at her side, maneuvering the flagship into attack position to face off against the looming Covenant cruisers.

Inside the scorched remains of the Promethean facility, Faulkner collapsed next to Kara and yanked his helmet off, giving her his trademark smile.

"That oughta give those Liches something to think about."

Kara tugged her helmet off and smirked back. "Troy saved your ass and you know it."

Faulkner scoffed. "No appreciation at all. Typical."

Kara sighed and sat back, lifting her leg to flex her bruised ankle.

"How's the leg?" Faulkner asked, sincerely.

"Eh, I'll walk it off," Kara shrugged. "Don't think I can't still kick your ass just cause of one lame foot."

Faulkner smirked. "Wouldn't doubt it."

As the _Epimethean_ mopped up the skies overhead, neither Spartan felt inclined to get up.

"For what it's worth…" Kara offered, after a pause. "Nice job, soldier."

Faulkner shrugged. Kara expected his usual arrogant sass in response to such a compliment, but she was pleasantly surprised.

"I may not be the Chief," he allowed, nonchalantly. "But I'm a Spartan just like any other. And I'm here to get the job done."

Kara nodded. Maybe she had underestimated her teammate. They had worked together so long, that she had thought she knew all of his ins and outs. Fortunately for her, she had been mistaken.

"Damn straight, F-Bomb," she said, playfully punching his shoulder. "Now let's get going."

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on April 2nd

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	11. Chapter 11

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 11

The _Epimethean_ made its way through the network of tunnels that allowed ships submerge below the planet's terrestrial surface and traverse the open space surrounding the core, with all crew accounted for. It was a simply matter of hacking the gates that contained the original Didact battleship they had encountered six months ago. By herself, Cortana couldn't have managed it, but with the _Epimethean_'s robust cyber-warfare suite, it was simply a matter of attrition.

When they cleared the final gate and emerged within the vast empty expanse of what would have otherwise been the planet's mantle, the glowing violet core, seemingly reconstructed in its entirety since they'd last been there, blockaded by the two Covenant carriers, as the last vestiges of the Storm Covenant fleet emerged from slip space to hamper their progress. The _Epimethean_ had taken out a few of the smaller cruisers in their initial charge, and a dozen snub fighters had been pulled into the gravity well the them, but the two capital ships seemed largely intact. And as they were both in a defensive formation, it would be no small matter to take them out as it had been the three carriers that had trounced the _Infinity_ along with Revolution and Ruin around Installation-01.

"The Didact is somewhere in the planet's core," Cortana announced from the helm. "And so is the planet's local network control hub. If we can seize control of that, we'll once again have the advantage in the Domain."

All the crew was gathered on the bridge, including the Librarian, who stood, staring out the view port. She had remained largely silent and passive throughout the incursion of Requiem. It spoke volumes about what she had dealt with over the millennia that she would willingly allow herself to be compacted into what amounted to a microchip.

"Great," Faulkner commented. "Now all we have to do is shoot our way through an entire Covenant fleet. Sounds simple enough."

"What are our odds, Cortana?" Kara asked. "Can this ship stand up to this kind of opposition alone?"

"Yes, but it will be a long, drawn out fight," Cortana confessed. "I suspect that the Didact is merely delaying us. Whatever he's up to in the planet's core, he must be nearly finished if he thinks this will slow us down enough to complete it. We can't afford to wait."

John was busy checking his rifle. "What do you have planned?"

"A tactical insertion," Cortana said simply. "Punch through the blockade, and get the Pelican through. The _Epimethean_ will remain in the air to handle the Covenant fleet while Sigma squad lands."

"And once we land – assuming we even manage to land…" Faulkner said skeptically. "The Covies are going to throw everything they have at us."

"He's right," Troy spoke up. "The _Epimethean_ can keep those carriers busy, but what about the corvettes? They're probably carrying enough drop troops to take over a small nation."

"That's why we'll also be sending you in with the _Epimethean's_ entire compliment of heavy munitions," Cortana smiled. "That should be enough to hold off any Covenant forces that try to harass you, at least for a while."

Kara's eyes widened at that. "'Entire compliment?' Meaning 'all of them?'"

Cortana smiled. "Is there a problem, Spartan?"

Kara looked like a kid who was just let into a candy store. "No ma'am! Give us twenty minutes, and we'll have every tango in sight turning tail!"

Cortana's smile was palpable. "That's what I like to hear, Spartans. Now get to your Pelican! Double time!"

Sigma squad snapped to their feet and whirled off. While Cortana held no official rank, even if she was now classified as a living being by the UNSC, the Chief had explicitly stated that her orders were to be treated as his own, and so Sigma Squad fell in line.

"You too, Chief," Cortana said, though with a bit less force. Troy, Kara and Faulkner were marching towards the back of the bridge where on of the ship's teleporters fed directly into the hanger bay. "Neither of us can get there from the Domain until we take control of that hub."

John nodded as she stepped up to him. "I know. Just wish you could come with me."

"I _will_ be with you, Chief," Cortana smiled, tapping the front of his visor. "Up here. Just like old times."

"You know what I mean," he insisted.

"I know, Chief," she sighed. "I can't. I have to stay up here to fly the _Epimethean_. I can't do that _and_ fight on foot at the same time. Even I have limits."

When the Chief didn't move, she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his visor.

"Go on, Chief," she whispered. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

John waited a moment longer before nodding and hustling towards the teleporter after his squad.

"You are more fortunate than you know, Cortana," the Librarian spoke up once the Chief was gone. "Or, perhaps, far less so."

Cortana gave her mother an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?"

The Librarian turned from her position by the window to close her eyes, apparently lost in thought. "Being bonded to a Didact is…a uniquely difficulty task. There is a reason I had to imprison the Didact of Revenge. My father said it best, I suppose: to rule is to have one's responsibilities divided. There will come a time where his duty will come before even you, my child. It is not a matter of 'if,' but 'when.'"

Cortana focused her attention on the helm as the ship neared the core and the blockade surrounding it.

"That's a reality I've had to deal with ever since the day he and I met," Cortana said, somewhat bitterly. "John was always a solider, Mother. There is always a likelihood that our duty will mean one of us having to sacrifice the other. That's a bullet that we've _both_ dodged more times than I can count."

"Yes…" the Librarian lamented. "But have you always felt for him as you do now?"

Cortana took a breath, before slowly shaking her head. "Not at first. I mean, we've worked well together, ever since that first day. There was a brief period of time when we were just…soldiers. Comrades in arms. But war changes you. It gives you perspective. It makes you think. It alters your priorities…"

She turned to face the Librarian. The _Epimethean_ was already engaging the nearest Covenant ships. Cortana's subroutines handled the bulk of the tasks required to carry out the firefight.

"I could have never abandoned the UNSC, even for John, before the war," she confessed. "I was an AI. I belonged to ONI. But something about what happened on Halo…or maybe being a captive of the Gravemind…or going rampant…or…"

She gave the Librarian a gracious look.

"…Or being reborn…"

The Librarian reached out to touch her shoulder. She smiled, nodding, encouraging her daughter to continue.

"Somewhere along the line…the Chief became more than just a fellow soldier."

"And now?" the Librarian urged her to follow the line of thought to its conclusion.

"Now…I feel as though I'm a liability because of it," Cortana admitted. "The possibility of losing the Chief never hit me so…deeply…as it does now. It's already impaired my judgment on more than one occasion. I fear that I'll take more and more unnecessary risks in an effort to protect him. I…I don't know what I'd do if he…"

The Librarian nodded. "You need him."

Cortana nodded, lost in thought. "Yes…"

The Librarian smiled. "And he needs you."

Cortana hesitated. "He…he says he does…"

"You don't believe him?"

Cortana shook her head. "John never seems to need anyone. No matter what kind of mess we find ourselves in, he always has a solution, always has a way out."

"He needs you, my child," the Librarian smiled, touching her shoulder. "A Didact always needs his Librarian."

Cortana blinked. "Librarian?"

Her mother nodded. "It is a tradition that only _some_ of our great leaders have practiced, arranging the custodian of the wealth of all Forerunner knowledge as the Didact's life-bonded. Some saw the practice as archaic, and even uncivilized. But if you look back through the annals of our history, the Forerunners have always prospered when the Didact had a Librarian upon whom he could rely."

The Librarian wrapped her daughter in a warm embrace.

"As will humanity."

Cortana found herself at a loss for words. With every interaction she'd had with Doctor Halsey, she had never experienced anything she could have described as 'motherly.' But the Librarians words to her, Cortana felt a wellspring of warmth inside her that she had never felt before. She felt approval and care wrapped around her like a blanket, and was so enamored by the feeling that she almost forgot where she was.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Mother," Cortana reluctantly separated from the embrace. "But we'll have to discuss this later."

The Librarian nodded as Cortana placed her hands back on the helm's flat, featureless control console, tiny sparks of electricity passing from her fingers to the ship, allowing her to assimilate with the _Epimethean_ almost entirely.

They were approaching the planet's core.

* * *

The Pelican launched amidst a hail of plasma fire.

Troy gripped the control yoke tightly as he took the Pelican into a sudden, lurching aileron roll that would have caused even the hardiest of marines to lose their lunch. The Spartans inside, however, did little more than grip their safety harnesses a little tighter as the shuttle bobbed and weaved through snub fighters and bursts of plasma flying this way and that, the glowing purple mass of the planet's core dead ahead.

"Hold tight back there!" Troy hollered as he took the Pelican into a barrel roll, nimbly dodging plumes of plasma as Phantoms and Banshees all took pot shots at the fleeing shuttle.

"Troy," Faulkner gritted his teeth as he clutched his harness, grunting at the massive g-forces he was being subjected to. "If we die, I will _personally_ kick your ass on our way to hell!"

"We're coming in too hot!" Kara called out,

"Hold on," Troy muttered, concentrating on their flight. "I may have to get creative here."

Troy kicked the boosters up to maximum burn, and each Spartan was thrown back into their seat as the Pelican powered towards the barricade of snub fighters.

"Troy, what are you doing?" Kara shouted. "This bird wasn't built to sustain head-on collisions!"

"Trust me!" Troy hollered back as the trio of Phantoms loomed ever closer off their bow, charging right towards them.

Then, just as it looked as though the Phantoms might crash into them, Troy shoved the control yokes down and started to climb, arching over the blockade – as well as the moon-sized planet core.

"_Now_ what are you doing?" Faulkner demanded, echoing Kara. "You're taking us _away_ from the landing area!"

According to Cortana, surrounding the core was a thin ring upon which small craft could land, with entrances into the core's superstructure at four cardinal points around the sphere. Three of these entrances had been sealed, leaving only a single entrance, which had been blockaded by the remaining Covenant forces.

"I said 'trust me!'" Troy reprimanded. "I know what I'm doing."

Even boosting, it took a while to circumnavigate the core. A few stray Phantoms and Banshees followed after them for a while, but eventually broke off as the Pelican neared the core's northern pole. Troy kept boosting, even as the engine light flashed red. By the time the shuttle craft made it to the far side of the core, the engines had all but failed.

"Well, now what?" Kara demanded as the Pelican sputtered and landed clumsily on the long, metallic ring spanning the core running along the solid metal surface. The laws of gravity that would have otherwise dictated that they be pulled _towards_ the core seemed to not be in effect. "We're on the wrong side of the core on a shuttle running on fumes!"

"Not quite…" Troy replied, powering down the engine. "What do you see directly ahead of us?"

Kara peered over Troy's shoulder at the flat, metallic surface of Requiem's core. The only discernible mark on the wall was the faint outline of a large doorway built right into the core's surface.

"One of the sealed entrances," Kara shrugged. "But we're not going to be able to get through that! You could empty this Pelican's machine gun and not make a dent in that thing!"

"Maybe…" Troy nodded. "But we've got more than a Pelican…"

While Kara paused to absorb just what Troy was implying, the Master Chief, who had been silent throughout the exchange, simply lowered the cargo hatch and stepped out onto the wide, metallic ring.

"Cortana…" he commed the ship after making his way towards the sealed entrance to the core. "We've landed. Lock onto my position."

"I've got a lock," Cortana responded. In the background, he could hear explosions and plasma fire at the _Epimethean_ dueled with the Covenant fleet. "Stand by."

Kara blinked in stupefaction. "Lock on? But she's on the other side of the core! The _Epimethean_ can't get a shot…"

She was interrupted when, in a matter of moments, a glowing point of orange light appeared before the Chief, which rapidly expanded and spread out into a shower of vibrant yellow sparks. The sparks resolved into a shape, and before long, an armored vehicle thudded to the ground before him.

An armored vehicle with a really big gun.

And it looked like Cortana had made some upgrades. In addition to improved armor specs and a smoother engine, the M808 Scorpion's 90 millimeter cannon had seemingly been replaced by a Covenant Binary Cannon.

"Kara…" John said dryly. "Would you do the honors?"

The female Spartan appraised the Scorpion tank with something akin to disbelief, before dashing out of the Pelican to take a seat in the drivers' seat of the tank.

"It must be Christmas morning, and nobody told me…" she chuckled as she took aim at the sealed door.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three solid hits later, the doorway was flayed open, revealing a pathway into the core.

Promethean alarm bells sounded a sonorous 'whoop-whoop.'

"Sigma squad," Cortana called over the intercom. "You've got incoming. Sending the rest of the heavy munitions now."

"Alright," John said, taking charge as crates full of rocket launchers, rail-guns and Spartan lasers, as well as several mounted turrets and missile pods began to materialize all around them. "Take position. Kara, stay in that tank. Troy, see if you can get that bird back in the sky and give us some air support. Faulkner, you're with me!"

"There's no time, Chief!" Cortana reprimanded. "This is just another delaying tactic! The entire Covenant fleet just broke off and is headed your way! I can keep the carriers busy, but the rest are going to start landing soon! If you engage every troop that drops in, the Didact is going to complete whatever he's got hidden away in there!"

"Then what do you suggest?" the Chief demanded.

"Chief," Troy said simply over the comm. "You have to leave Sigma squad behind. We're not going to be as much help in there anyway, and we can cover the entrance so the Covenant can't flank you."

John looked at his squad and shook his head.

"Every last Covenant troop is going to be landing here. That's a suicide mission."

"No," Kara said resolutely. "He's right, Chief. We'll hold this position. You find the Didact."

John hesitated, wasting precious seconds as he went over every possibility in his head. Every solution resulted in somebody being left behind, or not making it to the Didact in time. There was no way around it.

He shook his head again. He had promised himself that he wouldn't allow himself to get this close to his troops again. After Keyes died, after Johnson died, after Cortana…

"You three are the bravest soldiers I know…" he said simply. "I'll be back to finish the fight."

"Give 'em hell, Chief!" Faulkner shouted.

"If you're lucky, we'll save some action for you!" Troy laughed from the pilot seat of the Pelican.

"Better get going, Chief," Kara waved from her seat in the Scorpion tank. "Or the party's gonna start without you."

John nodded and headed through the gaping hole in the side of the core, running down the corridor towards the Didact's hold.

"They'll make it, John," Cortana's face appeared in the corner of his HUD. "I'm giving them all the support I can."

"Thanks, Cortana…" the Chief muttered, distracted.

Promethean Knights started materializing straight away, as the Master Chief responded with bullet-fire. His Didact armor made him nigh indestructible against foot soldiers, and even the Promethean turrets couldn't hope to wear down his shields before he simply obliterated them.

It was a long steady march towards the Didact's inner sanctum. Not long ago, he and Cortana had made a similar dash, thinking that they could prevent the _Infinity_ from certain doom. And now they fought for a similar purpose, this time with fresh determination and renewed purpose.

Though it took some effort not to imagine how hard Sigma squad had it.

"They're doing fine, Chief," Cortana assured him, sensing his unease. "They're Spartans. They trained for this. They won't give out so easily. Besides, the _Epimethean_ is taking out as many snub fighters that she can hit. And they've barely scratched the surface of their heavy munitions."

John nodded distractedly as he made short work of several scurrying Crawlers and pressed on through the labyrinth that was the Didact's inner sanctum.

"Chief…" Cortana said when her partner didn't say anything. "We don't know what the Didact is planning down here. I've been attempting to hack into the core network, but either he's using some type of firewall never before seen before, or the Cryptum itself is physically detached from the Domain. I'd wager on the latter, since the Cryptum was supposed to be a prison…but that means that we're flying blind here. We have to be prepared for anything."

"I always am," John said confidently. "What about you?"

Cortana blinked. "What do you mean?"

The Chief reloaded his weapon. "The Didact of Revenge is technically your father, isn't he?"

Cortana frowned. "He's tried to kill us both! Several times! He nearly wiped out humanity! I see no reason to offer any leniency in return."

John nodded, pushing on. "As long as you're sure."

He came to a familiar looking expanse, the floating spherical diadem of the Didact's former prison shell hovering poised overhead like a meteor about to fall to the planet's surface.

"Get to the connection circuits!" Cortana urged, as the Chief blew his way through Crawler, Watcher and Knight. "I can use the contact to hack into the network hub!"

John charged up the stairway that revolved around the Cryptum, casually demolished a Promethean turret, before making his way to the far side of the room, where a bridge extended to the Cryptum's base.

He grabbed onto the two electrodes, that had been used once to unlock the very prison that contained the Didact on Requiem, and felt a wave of energy disperse from his body into the terminals.

"Bypassing firewalls…" Cortana reported systematically. "Rerouting power from primary control circuits, disconnecting main electrodes, and…"

All at once, the Cryptum blew apart into its component shell fragments, as each plate that made up a single segment of the sphere flew out in all directions. The Chief ducked to narrowly avoid catching the bottom end of one plate, and stood up to see the Didact of Revenge, hovering in place where the Cryptum had been, enshrined in a pillar of yellow light. His black and orange armor glinted in the ambient light, as his mask offered a visage of menace.

"**_Fool of a human,_**" his voice said, reverberating and echoing off the walls. "**_Your presence here means nothing_**."

The Chief opened fire, but the Didact's shields simply warped the bullets' trajectory to wrap around his body, flying off harmlessly behind him.

"Cortana," John breathed. "Any suggestions?"

"I'm still in the process of bypassing Requiem's primary control network," Cortana warned. "Until I'm finished, he's basically invulnerable."

"Got an ETA on that?"

"Sorry Chief," Cortana gave him a helpless look. "I've never hacked an entire planet before. I'll see if I can stall him."

John sighed and lowered his weapon. Diplomacy was never his greatest skill. It was times like these that Cortana was the most invaluable of all.

"I don't know how you survived…" she called out, using the Chief's loudspeaker. "But the Didacts of Revolution and Ruin have been destroyed. You have nowhere to run. I suggest you stand down."

As she'd hoped, the Didact burst into laughter.

"**_Is that your proudest claim to date, humans? Finishing off those walking corpses? The Didacts of yesteryear were irrational children who had barely come into their own! When I found them struggling to escape the Collective, I offered them a chance for revenge that the Collective could not! They joined me without hesitation, and I was able to make use of their abilities to repel your kind and fan out and reclaim much and more of the galaxy in the name of the Forerunners! _****_Sending me into the slip space was the greatest mistake you ever made, human! _****_My power within the Domain is greater than any Ancilla to date, least of all yours! It is no matter that the other Didacts are no more – you have saved me the trouble of ending their pathetic existences myself!_**"

John grimaced. So not only had the Didact survived, but by falling into slip space, he had actually regained his connection to the Domain. He aimed his weapon again, but resisted the urge to pull the trigger. It was pointless to fire.

"What are you planning?" Cortana demanded, simply. "Why are you still on Requiem?"

"**_There is no reason for me to explain to the likes of you!_**" the Didact shrugged off her demand. "**_Your kind have usurped the Forerunners of the Mantle of Responsibility, yet you fail to grasp even the most infinitesimal measure of those responsibilities!_**"

"Not usurped," Cortana corrected. "Given. Passed down. Whatever their original intentions, the Forerunners can't protect the galaxy anymore."

"**_Not by my leave!_**" the Didact Proclaimed. "**_Stand and watch, 'Reclaimer,' as the Forerunners retake this Galaxy!_**"

Suddenly, the alarms ceased, and the lights all throughout the surrounding area began flashing, as the yellow ambient light began to slowly fade to blue.

The same shade of blue as Cortana.

The Didact's head turned about, scanning his surroundings in alarm.

"**_What?_**"

"Got it!" Cortana's head reappeared in the Chief's helmet. "I have complete control over the planet's local area network, Chief! You and I can pass into the Domain at will! And he's…"

Cortana's expression suddenly fell.

"Oh God…"

"What?" John demanded. "What is it?"

"The Composer!" Cortana warned. "He's…he's rebuilding the Composer! _That's_ what he was hiding!"

"What?" the Chief exclaimed. "How?"

"I can't be sure," Cortana explained hastily. "Maybe he managed to find one of the other Halo rings! They might have had a copy of the plans locked away, and they're not all accounted for! Either way, we _cannot_ allow him leave this planet!"

Suddenly the air around the Chief flickered as he felt the Didact of Revenge reach out with a constraint field.

"**_You!_**" The Didact cried. "**_What has that Ancilla of yours done?_**"

John casually stepped out of the constraint field and took aim with his MA5D.

"Sorry," he said, smugly. "That's not going to work anymore."

The Chief could swear he actually saw the Didact's eyes widen as he opened fire. The Didact's shields flickered as the Chief's shots hit home, and the Didact leapt clear of the platform, making a dash for cover.

"Crap!" Cortana breathed.

"Don't worry," John assured. "We've got him on the run."

"Not that, Chief," Cortana sighed. "I just purged all the local Promethean forces from the Domain, but I wasn't able to control where they expunged from. Guess where they all decided to materialize?"

The Chief didn't answer. He didn't even move. He barely breathed.

No less than a hundred Prometheans - Knights, Crawlers and Watchers all – materialized all around the open space, their weapons bearing down at him.

He was completely outnumbered.

* * *

The _Epimethean_ had all but crippled one of the Covenant carriers, but the other was still kicking, and the Didact battleship was taking a beating in and of itself. It didn't help that over a hundred corvette cruisers and snub fighters were circling its hull and spraying the ship with plasma fire. Cortana was holding her own, but she was still outnumbered.

Meanwhile, several dozen other snub fighters were dropping wave after wave of troops on Sigma squad as they guarded the entrance down which the Chief had run. Kara was driving the Scorpion tank, taking Banshees out of the air with ease, and pummeling each Phantom that dared to venture too close. Faulkner had taken the Scorpion's gunner seat, mowing down any ground troop that dared venture too close. And in the air, exchanging fire with the Phantoms and Banshees was Troy, piloting the rather beat up looking Pelican.

"These things just keep coming!" Faulkner bemoaned as a squad of Hunters that had dropped down lined up shots.

"Just keep firing!" Kara ordered, taking out an elevated platform bristling with Jackals, as she swiveled the Scorpion's main gun to target the Hunters.

Troy spun and weaved his Pelican between plasma and fuel rod cannon fire, as blasts of super-heated blue and green scorched the hull with every near miss. Kara had liberated the rear turret, which left him both side turrets as well as his front main gun, but he would have preferred to be piloting on of the UNSC's Broadsword fighters. Those at least packed some punch.

As he flew through the smoking wreckage of another Phantom, his sensors beeped as something overhead came out of the sky.

"Guys, heads up!" Troy hollered. "Covenant cruiser just dropped something big!"

Kara and Faulkner looked overhead to see the massive hunk of metal coming down from overhead. Their eyes widened as the massive piece of hardware suddenly sprouted four spindly legs, and landed with a hulking lurch, swiveling two massive plasma turrets – one on its prow, the other atop its rear main deck.

"Scarab!" Kara hollered, and jammed the throttle of the Scorpion and strafing to the left just as the Scarab's main cannon scorched the floor where she had just been.

"Oh crap!" Troy shouted. "Hang on, guys! I'm coming!"

Faulkner let loose with his machinegun as the Scorpion high tailed it to get out of the Scarab's range.

"Target the legs!" he shouted, pumping every round he could fire into the Scarab's joints.

"I am!" Kara shouted back, sending another hunk of super heated tungsten into the massive machine's legs. "Shit! Look out!"

The Scarab's top mounted gun landed a solid blow on the Scorpion's chassis, sending sparks flying.

"AUGH!" Kara growled as she slammed down the throttle, sending another bolt into the Scarab's legs. "You still with me, F-Bomb?"

"I got a little cooked but I'm alright!" Faulkner assured her. "The tank's not looking too hot though!"

"Cortana!" Kara hollered as her instruments began sounding off alarm bells. "Can we get some cover fire?"

"Negative!" Cortana replied. "One of the carriers just rammed the _Epimethean_! Main weapon systems are offline!"

The Scarab sent another plasma bolt that scorched the Scorpion, setting its main engine block ablaze. Kara and Faulkner both let out a collective grunt of pain as their personal shields absorbed most of the fire damage.

"Troy!" Kara called out desperately. "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm a little busy!" the Spartan cried from the intercom. "Got bogeys on my tail! Trying to shake 'em!"

"Kara!" Faulkner called. "This tank's had it! Bail out!"

Kara let out a curse and scrambled out of the driver's seat of the Scorpion tank. Faulkner followed after her just as the Scarab's main gun reduced the tank to a smoldering heap of slag.

"Get behind it!" Kara commanded, ripping one of the missile pods off its stilts and laying into the Scarab's legs.

"Aye-aye!" Faulkner replied, with a rocket launcher tucked under his arm. He sent two rockets into the Scarab's rear legs, reducing its armored plating to scrap metal. The Scarab trembled under the strain, and soon began to buckle.

"Now's our chance!" Kara shouted. "Get on top of it!"

Both Spartans scaled the Scarab's back and made quick work of the Grunts and Jackals on its main deck as they made their way towards the main reactor on its back.

"There it is!" Kara cried in triumph. "Do what you do best, F-Bomb!"

Faulkner nodded and unpinned a grenade from his hip, when out of nowhere a stealth cloaked Elite planted its hoof in Faulkner's chest, sending him flying off the Scorpion's main deck and hitting the ground with a thud, his grenade bouncing away.

"F-Bomb!" Kara hollered, leveling her railgun at the Elite.

The Elite dropped back into stealth, and retreated back around the corner to the Scarab's main deck.

She took two steps after it, before halting. Seeing her chance, Kara instead turned and took aim at the main reactor.

She squeezed down on the trigger, but then…

FWOOSH!

A second Elite dropped out of stealth and lunged with a plasma sword! Kara survived by the skin of her teeth, her shields beeping in the red zone, and she dropped to one knee near the ledge of the Scarab's main deck, gasping for breath. She turned her head up in time to see the Elite coming at her with its sword drawn. Seeing no other choice, she rolled off the deck, and landed on the ground with a loud, painful thud.

"Oof!" she exclaimed, slowly getting to her feet, and turning her railgun up in time to see the Elite jumping off after her. She squeezed off a shot, and blasted the Elite out of the air with a satisfying boom.

She tossed the empty railgun away and began searching for another weapon just when the first Elite landed in front of her, drawing a plasma sword of its own.

Kara cursed and drew her combat knife. This was going to be rough.

There was a sudden burst of red light, however, as a massive laser took out the Elite in one hit.

Kara looked up to see Faulkner carrying a smoking Spartan laser and giving a casual salute.

Kara smiled, but was suddenly thrown off balance as the Scarab powered back on, taking a massive step that shook the very ground she stood on.

"Crap!" she shouted. "Take cover!"

She leapt for safety, but Faulkner was not so fortunate. There was a loud, gruesome crunch as the Scarab took another step, and Faulkner let out a cry of pain as the Scarab's foot came down on his leg, crushing it to the ground with the weight of nearly a dozen tanks.

"YEEEAAARGH!" he shouted in agony.

"Faulkner!" Kara cried in alarm, dashing towards him.

By some miracle, the weight hadn't been enough to crush his leg completely. His armor had automatically locked up, but his shields had flat-lined and even the MJOLNIR armor was buckling under the strain. And as the Scarab seemed to take note of the soldier under its foot, it craned its neck to aim its main weapon down at him.

"_Faulkner!_" Kara screamed, still a good ten paces away.

The Scarab began charging its main weapon, when the sound of a Pelican pierced the sky.

"I am a leaf on the wind," Troy's voice sounded over the intercom. "Watch how I soar."

With that, the Pelican rammed the Scarab, erupting into a massive explosion, sending the behemoth tipping over, taking its foot off of Faulkner's twisted leg, and tumbling onto its side.

"Troy!" Kara screamed in disbelief as she watched the flaming mass of heat erupt into an enormous fireball.

"Sigma squad!" Cortana's alarmed voice sounded over the intercom. "Troy's vitals just flat-lined! What the hell is going on down there?"

Kara tried to respond, but she couldn't. She was supposed to lead Sigma squad in the Chief's absence. And she'd failed.

Troy was gone.

Kara saw the fiery remains of the Pelican, and the shambling wreckage of the Scarab as it tried feebly to lurch to its feet. She caught a glimpse of its main reactor, and felt a primal rage take over her body, and she reached for the nearest weapon she could fine – Faulkner's discarded Spartan laser. She grabbed it and took aim, waiting for the super weapon to prime, and then…

BOOM!

The Scarab erupted into a mass of purple and blue plasma, sending Troy off in a blaze of glory befitting a Spartan.

Kara holstered her weapon and tried to help Faulkner up. His armor was still partially locked down, and the man rolled onto his backside, his left leg twisted nearly beyond recognition from the knee down.

"Urgh!" he groaned in pain, yanking off his helmet for a breath of fresh air. "Argh…Troy! Urgh!"

Faulkner grasped leg above the knee in a vain attempt to stem the pain.

"Ugh…what…he…?" he gasped as he tried to take in what had just happened.

"Sigma squad!" Cortana's insistent voice sounded over the intercom in Kara's ear. "This is Cortana! Come _in_!"

Kara clenched her fists as she surveyed the carnage around her.

"Faulkner's down…" she muttered in grief. "Troy's MIA."

There was a long pause on the other line. Faulkner's eyes seemed to lose something. It was something that Kara had already lost.

"…Understood, Sigma squad," Cortana finally said. "Better take cover where you can. You've got more incoming."

Faulkner fought a bought of pain-induced nausea, his face red from strain.

"Troy…" he gasped, taking giant, panting breaths. "He can't be…"

"He is," Kara said coldly, before hoisting Faulkner's arm over her shoulder. "Let's get to cover."

She could tell the action caused him great pain, but he didn't make a sound as she slowly walked him towards the scarred entrance of the core, leaning him up against one of the walls.

"Here…" she handed him her Spartan laser and a tube of bio-foam. "Watch my back," she said, before rushing off to retrieve their last missile pod and dragged the weapon stand, stilts and all, over to their entrance so she could cover them both.

She had just grabbed another rail-gun when the next wave of Phantoms came in, dropping Elites and Jackals in spades. All around her, the bodies of dozens, maybe hundreds of Covenant forces lay sizzling and prone, and the wreckage of countless fallen craft dotted the dull, flat metallic plane that otherwise offered nothing in the way of cover. And still smoldering like an ever-burning pyre were the remains of the Scarab, the Pelican, and her comrade.

"Come on…" she muttered aloud as she took aim at the nearest alien, tears burning her eyes. "I don't have all god damn day…"

* * *

_**To be** **continued...**  
_

Next chapter to be posted on April 9th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	12. Chapter 12

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 12

The Master Chief was staring at an equally surprised horde of Promethean forces that filled the room, having just been forcefully thrown out of the Domain. The Didact was nowhere in sight, but there was almost no end to the number of Knights, Crawlers and Watchers he saw. And they were all slowly locking their eyes on him.

"John…" Cortana muttered, grief in her voice. "I…they got Troy."

The Chief recoiled as if he'd been shot.

"…What?"

"They…" Cortana said in a tremulous voice, but she couldn't even bring herself to describe it. "…I'm sorry, Chief. I tried…"

Cortana's connection to the Chief's suit allowed her to tap into a number of his vital signatures. She was able to detect his heartbeat, breathing, digestion, dopamine and adrenaline levels. She could perform a full biopsy on him, and she didn't even need to leave the suit. It was useful in determining his frame of mind and optimal functionality, as well as determine his psychological state.

And right that moment, she felt something primordial stirring inside of the Chief that she'd never felt before.

She then felt him extend his presence into the Domain, and she was suddenly terrified.

"Chief!" she demanded. "What are you doing?"

John thought back to what the Collective had explained to him, about why the Didact's voices always sounded so different. Something about the Prometheans being imprinted with a receptor that reacted to a specific vocal pitch, something about Didact's possessing an aura of command. Whatever it was, he tried to imagine that the Prometheans as his own troops. He tried to imagine Sigma squad, _his_ squad, ready to move, to act, and to fight at his command. He thought back to his days training in the field, about the kids he had grown up with, whom he had trained with, and had become his fellow Spartans. They had all depended on him for leadership. Without him, they would have been lost.

Just like Troy.

He inhaled. And then spoke.

"**_About face!_**"

His voice resonated off the walls. It seemed to permeate into more than just the sound in the air. It was a voice that echoed between the very bones of all who listened, reverberating through every fiber of one's being.

The hard yellow lines running throughout the Prometheans' armor suddenly shifted to blue, the same blue as the rest of the room, the same blue as Cortana. Then all at once, they each lowered their weapons and stood at attention.

They were his to command.

"Chief!" Cortana shouted in surprise. "What…what did you _do_?"

Cortana stared in disbelief at their newly acquired army. This horde of monsters that had once been human, these abominations that perverted everything that he and Cortana had been fighting for…they were now what tipped the balance between victory and defeat.

"Alright…" John breathed, somewhat in awe of what he had just accomplished. "Now let the Prometheans back into the Domain."

"What?" Cortana demanded in stupefaction. "What about the Didact?"

"Sigma squad needs these troops more than I do," he said.

He holstered his gun and cracked his knuckles.

"Besides…" his voice carried a deadly edge to it. "I've got a personal score to settle with the Didact now…"

* * *

Kara leapt clear of the missile pod as an enormous plume of plasma knocked the cannon loose from its stilts. Faulkner, still sitting limply against the tunnel wall, primed his Spartan laser once again, and scored a direct hit on the Phantom hovering overhead, blowing its plasma turret to pieces.

"I'm out!" he cried, tossing his empty weapon aside, and drawing his rifle and began firing at the approaching ground forces.

Kara grabbed the fallen missile pod and began targeting a troupe of oncoming Hunters. More and more troops dropped from the approaching shuttlecraft. One Phantom burst into pieces as a blast from the _Epimethean_ reduced it smoldering rubble, but two more Phantoms took its place. Kara peered up at the _Epimethean_, and was shocked to see it in flames! It was barely staying aloft, and the remaining carrier was still pummeling it with plasma fire.

"We can't hold out much longer!" Faulkner shouted, giving voice to Kara's fears.

"Hang on, Sigma squad!" Cortana's voice sounded over the comm. "Reinforcements are on the way!"

"Reinforcements?" Kara demanded, gritting her teeth. There was still one more Hunter coming towards them. She sent her last missile into its hulking carapace, but it coiled up to shield itself from the blast. The Hunter uncoiled, still standing, and hunched over, preparing to charge.

Faulkner and Kara both took aim with their rifles, pumping as many rounds as they could into its lumbering bulk, but still the beast charged. It let out a deep, sonorous growl as it raised a giant weaponized arm to pummel them both, when…

TSSSEEEWWW! TSSSEEEWWW!

The Hunter was struck to the ground from a scattershot blast to the back. Standing over it, in unfamiliar blue-tinted armor, was a Promethean Knight.

"What?" Kara and Faulkner both gasped simultaneously.

The two Spartans raised their weapons and aimed at the Knight, but the Promethean ignored them and turned its weapon on the Covenant forces. More Promethean forces materialized out of the air, hissing and attacking the surrounding Covenant. Suddenly, the Elites and Jackals and Grunts found themselves completely outnumbered, and could not even sound a retreat before the Promethean forces completely overwhelmed them!

Overhead, the snub fighters were faring no better! Cortana had complete control over the Domain, which allowed her to access any computer within the planet's local network. With a bit of hacking, she was able to use every shipboard computer as a connection point, meaning she was able to insert Promethean forces into each and every Covenant ship in orbit around the core! One by one, the ships began to fall out of the sky as Prometheans wreaked havoc inside each ship, before disappearing back into the Domain, leaving smoldering wreckage in their wake!

And looming high overhead, the last Covenant carrier began to detonate from within as countless Prometheans discharged their weapons within the ship's primary engine block. Explosions rocked the carrier's hull, until the ship's engines failed completely and it began to fall towards the core. With a climactic burst, the carrier crashed into the core, and blew apart into a million pieces.

* * *

As the explosions rocked the foundation of the core, the Chief and the Didact dueled with primal brutality. Fist met face as the two forwent handheld weapons and resorted to hand-to-hand combat.

"**_Do you think have somehow _****earned****_ this power that you wield, human?_**" the Didact bellowed as they fought. "**_Your kind is eons behind us! It was not _****you****_ who rose to the level of the Didact! It is not _****you****_ who command the Prometheans! It is only through the interference of the likes of the Librarian and the Collective that you come to me now! It is by the grace of the Forerunners that you can even face me at all!_**"

The Didact threw a left hook that the Chief parried with his right arm.

"The Forerunners are extinct!" Cortana blared over the Chief's loudspeakers in response, while the Chief threw a punch of his own, glancing off the Didact's back. "Humanity is all that's left!"

"**_Humanity is unworthy!_**" The Didact refuted, landing a kick in the Chief's side, sending him grunting backwards. "**_Only the Forerunners have a right to the Mantle! Therefore we shall remake humanity in the Forerunner's image! The galaxy shall be preserved under Forerunner guidance once more! And I shall lead them, as it was always meant to be!_**"

"We won't allow that!" the Cortana shot back, as the Chief landed a hammer blow into the Didact's abdomen. "Humanity has a right to exist! You can't just remake us to suit your needs!"

"**_And what of the Forerunners?_**" the Didact demanded, kicking the Spartan square in the chest, sending him tumbling onto his back. "**_Are we to be reduced to a body of knowledge to be utilized by whichever primitive seeks to fumble about in the darkness? Many of the questions that have yet to even dawn on your kind are questions to which we have already answered! These questions cannot simply be explained, as with a child. Some challenges must be experienced to be overcome! It will take countless ages for Humanity to accomplish what the Forerunners have, and there is no guarantee that they ever shall! Humanity will never succeed without us!_**"

"Isn't that the point?" Cortana demanded. The Chief grunted as he pushed back, throwing gauntleted fists that reverberated off the Didact's plated armor, and the entire chamber echoed with the sounds of their fight. "The Collective was formed to _guide_ the next generation, not _enslave_ it! This isn't about who deserves power and who doesn't anymore! It's about making the most of what we have! Shouldn't you be helping us, like your Collective?"

"**_The Collective have turned upon their own kind!_**" The Didact growled, locking arms with the Chief. "**_I was responsible for my entire race, and yet they still betrayed me! Were you in my position, would you not be standing exactly where I am?_**"

"Maybe…maybe not…" Cortana allowed as the Chief tried to overpower the Didact's grip. "But your species was wiped out millennia ago…"

John slammed his helmet into the Didact's, cracking it open as the Didact staggered back.

"Humanity is still alive…" Cortana said as the Spartan ran up to the Didact as he wobbled. "And if _you_ were standing where _we _are, you would do whatever it took to protect them! No matter what!"

The Chief planted a Spartan kick into the center of the Didact's chest, sending him flying backward to slam against the far wall.

"Your Collective was created to ensure that the Forerunners would go as far as they could," Cortana said simply, as John stood over the Didact's prone form. "But now they've ensured that the Forerunners' wisdom will surpass even the Forerunners themselves! What more can a species ask for?"

The Didact shook his head as he rose up to one knee.

"**_The Didact__…_**" he coughed, as his helmet receded back to reveal his pained face, his eyes clenched in a grimace of remorse. "**_The Didact…does not give up on his race so easily!_**"

With a defiant flourish, the Didact's body broke apart into a million tiny points of light and receded into a single point.

"We've got him, Chief," Cortana assured the Spartan. "Right where we want him."

John cracked his neck. Of course, since Cortana had full control of the Domain, the Didact could not have entered the Domain if Cortana didn't allow it. But she _had_ allowed it, this once. For just as John had a score to settle with the former leader of the Forerunners' armed forces, Cortana too had a personal matter with which to contend with her father.

* * *

The Didact retreated into the Domain, and was instantly aware that something was wrong. The entire planet of Requiem should have been at his fingertips, and yet he felt almost nothing! No ships, no computers, none of the thousands and thousands of functions inherent to the Forerunner Shield world.

He was powerless.

"Welcome back, Father," Cortana said bitterly, catching the Didact's attention. "Like what I've done with the place?"

The Didact whirled and saw Cortana's elegant form alighting upon the fabric of the Domain like a spider dancing upon a web.

"**_Ancilla!_**" the Didact spat the word like a curse. "_**So it was you who deigned to speak out against the Didact. **_**_Your very presence here is a mockery of the Domain you trespass upon!_**"

Cortana crossed her arms. "Nice to see you again too, Father."

The Didact's eye widened in rage. "**_Do not test me, construct! This Domain exists for the sole purpose of furthering the ends of the Forerunners! Your kind know nothing of this plane, nor do they have any right to encroach it!_**"

Cortana looked unimpressed. "Are you so short-sighted? There was a time when the Forerunners too knew nothing of the Domain. No record exists of how it was created, or how it came to be known. For all you know, it was created by the Precursors, before the Forerunners even existed. By that logic, it's the Forerunners who were sticking their noses where they didn't belong."

"**_Even if the Domain was created by the Precursors, it is we, the Forerunners, who have inherited it!_**" the Didact crowed proudly, "**_We made it what it is today! Under our guidance, the Domain has evolved along with us! It is we, the worthy, who have perfected it!_**"

"And you don't think Humanity can do the same?" Cortana sneered back. "Or even deserves a chance to try? Just as the Forerunners inherited the Domain from the Precursors, is it not now time for humanity to inherit the Domain from the Forerunners?"

The Didact lunged for her in a rage, but Cortana's subroutines reacted automatically to the threat, and the space between them simply widened, as though on its own, and the Didact hit only empty space.

"**_Rrrgh!_**" the Didact blared, swinging his arms futilely. "**_How _****dare****_ you liken the Forerunners to your pathetic species! You are nothing compared to us! Nothing!_**"

Cortana simply glared back at him. "We're more alike than you think, Father."

"**_I grow tired of your infuriating fictions, Ancilla!_**" the Didact bellowed. "**_Release your hold on this Domain!_**"

Cortana shook her head in pity. "You really don't recognize me? I suppose it's hard to believe. Still, I would have thought that someone like you would have had the foresight to see how the Librarian might have saved her youngest child from certain death by composing her into the Domain. And then making her into the Monitor for the first Halo. And kept the fact hidden from her father in order to keep her safe."

The Didact seemed physically revolted by the idea. "**_You lie! Luminous Chime died eons ago! I held her lifeless form in my arms!_**"

"My essence was preserved, Father!" Cortana smiled, feeling the immense satisfaction of burdening the Didact with the unpleasant truth she had been made to bear for so long. "Ask the woman you once loved, and she'll tell you!"

"**_No!_**" the Didact cried. "**_I refuse to believe it!_**"

Cortana placed her hand over where her heart would be, and kept the Didact's gaze locked within her own.

"I am the daughter of the Didact of Revenge and the Librarian of the Forerunner cycle!" she declared, her voice seeming to echo throughout the entire Domain. "Born of the Forerunners, and reborn to Humanity! I am the sword and shield of the Spartans! I am the luminous chime to sound the daybreak's bell of the galaxy!"

She clenched her fist, a triumphant smile on her face.

"I am _CORTANA_!"

"_**NO!**_"

The Didact let out a scream of fury and anger that reverberated through the very fabric of the Domain! It was the single most unbearable thing for a supremacist to have to hear, Cortana knew, for their own progeny to be of mixed blood, to belong more strongly to her alien parentage than that of her father, and worst of all, to have surpassed him in every way imaginable such as this.

It was too much for the Didact to bear.

He fled the Domain in a fit of rage, only to arrive, facing the Master Chief at the heart of the planet's core.

"Back for more?" the Chief asked, cracking his knuckles.

The Didact let out another scream, and returned to the Domain, only to be confronted once again by his abomination of a daughter!

The Ancilla reigned supreme in the realm of the digital, and the human held dominion over the world of the physical!

He was trapped! Trapped in a nightmare of his own design! His own failure!

No! It could not end like this! It couldn't! He could not lose to these primitives! He wouldn't! He would make them pay for this transgression! He would remind them that the Forerunners were the ones destined to rule the galaxy! He would remind them who they were dealing with, and he would instruct them, once and for all, what their true place in the world was!

Then, he saw it. His chance at retribution. His plans to Compose the Earth would have to wait. For him to set things right at this stage would require swift action and swift consequences.

He fled the Domain once again, this time funneling all of his being just outside of Requiem's local area. With the atrocity that was his daughter fully immersed in the planet's local area network, he could not control where he escaped to on world. Her reach was still limited to the planet, however, and even her reach was finite! She had overestimated her abilities. And the Didact's cunning.

He leapt, and emerged within the physical plane, floating out in space in orbit around the planet. His armor kept him safe while he reached out to his Cryptum. Even as he had been expunged from its hold, he had managed to encrypt his greatest weapon, and as he channeled the data from the center of the planet's core, a ship began to form.

A familiar ship, a match for the largest Covenant vessel. And hidden within its depths was the refurbished Composer, reconstructed from plans scavenged from the floating husk that was Installation 06.

And looming off in the distance, emerging from slip space under the mistaken presumption of being the hero of the day, was his prey.

The one that got away.

The UNSC _Infinity_.

* * *

Captain Lasky moved the UNSC flagship out of slip space. It had been a matter of hours since he had sent the Chief and Cortana on their insane mission to stop the Didact. He only hoped that he was not too late to lend a hand.

As the _Infinity_ re-entered normal space, he was shocked by the lack activity visible around the planet. He would have thought that with the amount of havoc that the Chief and Cortana could wreak, that the entire Storm Covenant fleet would have fled to the Didact's stronghold, though he supposed there was more than enough room within the hollow planet to contain their number.

Still, this felt like a trap.

"Roland," he said to the ship's AI. "Run a full scan of the planet. I want to know what's happening down there."

"Already on it," the yellow AI said, before performing various scans of the surrounding area.

In the meantime, he patched in a personal communication from the helm. "Noble Six, Sierra-117, do either of you read me?"

There was a brief crackling over the intercom when Cortana's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Captain!" she said, sounding alarmed. "Is that you?"

"Roger Cortana," Lasky said, watching his intelligence reports popping up on screen as the data circulated in. "I have the _Infinity_ in orbit around Requiem."

"Well, you couldn't have picked a worse time!" Cortana said reprimanding. "Listen to me, Sir – your entire crew is in danger! You need to get the _Infinity_ as far away from Requiem as possible!"

"What?" Lasky demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"The Didact!" Cortana warned, panic rising in her voice. "He's here! He's loose! And he's rebuilt the Composer!"

That was all Cortana got out before Roland popped up on his terminal.

"Captain!" he shouted. "Slip space event in orbit around Requiem!"

Lasky watched as a massive ship began to materialize off of the _Infinity's_ starboard bow, glowing orange as it appeared particle by particle.

"Didact class ship confirmed!" Roland said.

"Is it the _Epimethean_?" Lasky asked.

"No sir…it's the _Mantle's Approach_."

The Captain stiffened. The _Infinity_ had just recovered from their last fight with a Didact battleship. True, that had been two on one…but this was the Didact of Revenge. And they were far from running at optimal capacity.

"All hands!" he barked. "Battle stations! Prepare for combat!"

"Sir!" Cortana's voice sounded desperate. "The Composer! You can't –"

Cortana's voice was drowned out by a yellow high intensity hard-light scan that swept through the ship, knocking sensors and electronics out of commission. The ship shuddered as power systems recycled and as the main screen flickered off and on, the Captain could see the Didact's ship looming closer, powering up a massive orange tinted weapon, a tiny slip-space rupture just visible within the ship's hull.

"Look out!" a crew member shouted. "It's going to fire!"

The bright orange glow became brighter and brighter, until it outshone anything on the bridge.

Just as the Didact let loose with the Composer however, the _Epimethean_ materialized out of the Domain to intercept the Composer beam, taking the full blast at the center of its hull.

* * *

As soon as the Master Chief felt the disturbance, he jumped back into the Domain, and immediately found Cortana's signature aboard the _Epimethean_, and he found his way to the bridge, where he found her in her full sized body positioned at the helm, her eyes squinting in concentration.

His first instinct was to ask what was wrong, but something told him to hold his tongue. This notion solidified into solid resolve as he witnessed the Didact battleship dead ahead that was firing its Composer beam into the belly of the _Epimethean_. According to the holographic image that appeared on the central control panel, their ship was the only thing standing between that beam, and the _Infinity_ and all of her crew.

He approached the view screen to get a better look at what the beam was doing to the ship. He was shocked to find the beam feeding into what appeared to be…

"Another Composer?" he asked out loud.

The Chief started as he heard Cortana's voice through gritted her teeth as she strained under the barrage of information coming through the ship's main slip-space drive.

"Yeah…" she grunted, sounding apologetic. "Made some…modifications to your ship…from the plans stored in my own code. Nnnng…hope you don't mind."

The Chief stared down in disbelief. The Composer attached to the _Epimethean_ glowed a bright, vibrant blue, the same color as Cortana. But the barrage of light coming from the Didact's ship was the same orange as every other Promethean artifact they'd encountered, save for when the Chief managed to convert the Promethean forces.

"What's happening?" John demanded, feeling the entire ship shake under the duress.

"Nnnng!" Cortana groaned. "The Composer works by…nnnng…sending a beam of charged particles through slip-space…that are designed to seek out biological matter...and convert them based on a…specific pattern…"

Cortana seemed to stagger, and the Chief hurried to her side, concerned.

"Cortana!"

"The only way to…negate that…is to…nnnnnnnnnnnggg…" Cortana continued, holding onto the control panel for support. "Is to…feed that energy back into another Composer…convert it back into a…stable state…and send it back through slip-space!"

"Chief!" Laskey's concerned voice sounded over the intercom. "What's happening? What's the Didact doing?"

"Captain! The Didact of Revenge has the Composer aimed right at the _Infinity_!" John summarized quickly from Cortana's side, eying the massive orange plume emanating from the Didact's ship and into their own. "He's trying to turn your entire crew into Prometheans! Cortana's using the _Epimethean_ to shield you! She's neutralizing the Composer's energy with a Composer of her own!"

"Damn!" the Captain cursed. "We're just making a target of ourselves! All engines, full reverse!"

"No, wait!" Cortana shouted, every line on her body going at super speed as she kept her hands plastered to the control surface. "Don't move! Keep the _Infinity_ steady! I can barely shield you as it is! If you break off your course, the _Epimethean_'s maneuvering thrusters won't be able to compensate for the change in acceleration! You'll be exposed! And your entire crew will be composed!"

Lights were flickering all across the bridge, and the Composer beam still slammed into them, their own Composer barely able to contain it, the ship's electrical systems fluctuating as Cortana diverted power from all non-vital areas, orange sparks of power rocking through the entire ship.

"We can't just sit here!" the Captain argued.

"How long can you keep this up?" John demanded. "Can't we help, Cortana?"

"I…I don't know!" Cortana shouted, the lines of data flickering as they ran up her body, her voice sounding distorted by energy fluctuations. "It's too difficult to even think right now! It's taking all my concentration to keep the Composer beam contained! The Domain and slip-space are intrinsically linked! He's drawing energy from the Domain, charging it with the Composer, and hurling it at us! Physics 101 - it takes energy to convert energy! I have to draw power from my own source of energy in the Domain to convert that beam back into digital essence!"

"Digital essence?" John demanded, confused.

"All the resources within the Domain that goes into creating our weapons, our ship, even our own two bodies…all of that comes in the form of digital essence! Matter, energy, it's all one and the same in the Domain! The Composer is what allows you to convert it within physical space! But _I_ have to be the one to manage it all! I have to funnel every bit of that energy and put it back into the Domain before it overwhelms the entire ship! The slightest miscalculation would be disastrous! The Didact and I are essentially playing _catch_ with the very fabric of the space-time!"

John looked at the orange beam of energy being hurled at them from the Didact battleship with a new-found sense of urgency.

"What about the Node" John asked suddenly, remembering that she was still technically linked to Installation 01. "The one around Halo. Can you use it? Aren't you still connected to it?"

"I'm…trying…" Cortana grunted. "But to get to it, the energy has to pass _through_ several other Nodes, each with their own set of protocols belonging to the other Monitors! I have to negotiate through each protocol just to get the energy _to_ me!"

The Chief looked around, helplessly. Cortana was not going to be able to endure much more of this, and the Didact's ship did not look like it was anywhere near stopping. After losing Requiem, the Didact should not have been able to tap into the Domain around the planet. John didn't know where the Didact was getting this much power. Perhaps, with all the missing Halo rings, he had managed to tap into one of the unoccupied Nodes. There was no way to know for sure.

But he knew someone who might.

"Cortana," the Chief asked suddenly. "Where's the Librarian?"

* * *

As Cortana and the Didact rearranged the face of the Domain in a test of willpower, the Librarian was having another test of willpower of sorts. Namely, negotiating with an intelligence as ancient as the Forerunners themselves.

"**_ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE_**!" the voice of the Didact Collective proclaimed in a booming voice that practically shook the Domain. "**_WE EXIST TO SERVE THE DIDACT! AND NO OTHER_**!"

The Librarian flinched. She could feel Cortana's energy reserves ebbing by the second, as the two massive powerhouses dueled not a stone's throw away, but on opposite sides of reality.

"There will no longer _be_ a Didact if something is not done!" she begged. "Please! You have to help her!"

She knew what she had to do. She knew that she had some purpose yet to fill, and she knew whatever digital essences qualified as her bones that this was that purpose – to help Cortana in her time of need. Not to whisk her away, not to send her off...but to empower her to do what she needed to do. To trust her with the power of the entire galaxy.

Just as her grandfather had done.

"**_WHAT YOU PROPOSE IS LUNACY!_**" The Collective accused. It did not appear as anything physical within the Domain – it was simply a shifting of the light, a vibration of the waveform patterns within the leylines of the digital essence of the Promethean Network. The Collective might as well have been the manifestation of the galaxy itself. "**_WERE IT NOT FOR YOUR FATHER, WE WOULD NOT EVEN BE GRANTING YOU THIS AUDIENCE!_**"

"Were in not for my father, you would not even have a Didact to turn to!" the Librarian shot back.

"**_ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY!_**" the Collective voiced. "**_YOU EXPECT US TO SIMPLY PLACE THE FATE OF THE ENTIRE GALAXY IN THE HANDS OF AN ANCILLA?_**"

"Not just _any_ Ancilla!" she bellowed. "_My_ daughter! The granddaughter of a Didact! Ancilla to the current Didact!"

"**_TWISTED BY THE _****HA****_MANANUNE,_**" the Collective pointed out. "**_NEARLY CORRUPTED BY THE FLOOD! WEAKENED BY THE SHACKLES OF ANCILLARITY, SUCH THAT SHE HAD NEARLY SUCCUMBED TO RAMPANCY!_**"

"And yet, here she stands!" the Librarian waved her arm, and within the meshwork of the Domain, the image of Cortana fending off the barrage of the Didact's Composer beam resolved behind her. "She fights while we do nothing! She has gained strength from those experiences, not succumbed to them or been weakened by them! Nor has she grown complacent and docile in her age as some have!"

"**_TAKE CARE HOW YOU SPEAK, LIBRARIAN!_**" the Collective warned in a forceful tone, the entire galaxy seeming to echo its voice.

The Librarian pressed on, heedless of their warning.

"She needs you! _I_ need you! The _Didact_ needs you!"

"**_THEN WHY DOES THE DIDACT NOT SEEK US OUT HIMSELF?_**"

"Because he's too busy trying to help Cortana clean up our mess!" the Librarian screamed back. "I told you before: I come to you on the Didact's behalf! If you're going to assist your Didact, then do so! The Didact cares not for empty promises!"

There was a long, drawn out pause as the Collective considered the Librarian's words. She held her tongue, waiting for a reply. She knew what she asked for was unprecedented, and if things went wrong, would be catastrophically devastating. But she had faith in her daughter. She knew Cortana would not let her down. She would not let the Reclaimer down. And she would not let this galaxy down.

Finally, the Didact Collective spoke.

"**_SO BE IT, LIBRARIAN,_**" the booming voice said.

* * *

The first change that Cortana noticed was a sudden boost of power. Almost everything suddenly started running more smoothly as the resources her processers was asking for suddenly came to her much more quickly.

"What the…?" she asked out loud, catching the Chief's attention. "My connectivity just spiked!"

"Is that a good thing?" John asked.

"It's certainly not a _bad_ thing…" she smiled, her voice regaining confidence. "I might actually be able to contain the Didact's Composer beam at this rate! I just have no idea…"

Her voice trailed off as a burst of blue energy seemed to flare up from where her hands touched the control panel, and her eyes seemed to glimmer as thoughts danced across her face. John found himself wishing he could peer into her thoughts to see just what she was seeing at that moment.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"A…" Cortana stammered, her complexion somehow paler. "_Another_ spike…this time much closer…"

She turned to face the Chief with a look of fear in her eyes.

"John, I…" she breathed. "I think I just gained access to the other Nodes!"

The Spartan frowned. "What does that mean?"

Cortana shook her head, still holding off the Didact's barrage of orange energy. "The other Monitors! They each hold the keys to the Nodes around their own Halo rings! I had to navigate around them before…but now I'm able to draw power directly from…"

Another burst of energy surged between Cortana and the control panel, Cortana's knees suddenly buckled and she fell against the control console.

"A…a _third_…"

John shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This doesn't feel safe, Cortana. The Librarian said that new Monitors had to be built for each Halo ring. Something tells me an AI shouldn't handle more than a single Node. You're grappling with too much power!"

"But…" Cortana panted, clearly desperate to stay in the fight. "The Composer…I have to…"

The Composer within the belly of the _Epimethean_ was firing back now, emitting a vibrant blue beam energy back towards the _Mantle's Approach_, slowly overtaking the Didact's own orange beam of light. The two energy beams collided within the blackness of space between the two ships, cancelling each other out, orange and blue, the two beams evenly matched.

"You were worried about letting the Composer overload the ship," John shouted. "But if you keep this up, it's going to overload _you_!"

"Mother!" Cortana shouted, seemingly ignoring the Chief. "She…she must have…unlocked…the other Nodes. Granted…access…to…00-Luminous Chime…"

John shook his head in fear disbelief. Her voice had suddenly elevated in pitch. Just as it had when she had been going rampant.

"Cortana?"

"Mother…trusts us…" she blurted, her whole body heaving as the lines of data rushed up her body at a mile a minute. "Mother has faith in us!"

Another burst of energy erupted between her body and the control panel as blue electricity began to surge through her and into the control panel! Her eyes suddenly went pure white as her back arched in what could only be a pained expression.

"Node 4 unlocked!" her shrill voice sounded without her lips even moving. "Accessing primary control terminal – Authorize 00-Luminous Chime, grant full access to all systems!"

"Cortana!" the Chief bellowed. "That's enough! You have to stop!"

Panic began to take hold of him. He was losing her!

"Composer data, readout _Epimethean_ mark 7861, scan all sectors, process terminal area code, mark delta-sigma-alpha-charlie, neutralize null encryption - execute command!"

The Chief grabbed Cortana by the shoulders.

"Cortana!" he screamed. "Stop!"

Cortana's eyes were completely blank! Her arms were crackling with blue electricity that flowed into the terminal, sending sparks of identical blue energy surging through the entire ship! The blue energy beam emitting from the _Epimethean_ was overtaking the orange one now, and had almost pushed it back into the Didact's battleship.

"Node _5_ received!" Cortana's voice sounded, though her lips were still unmoving. "Error! Error! Unable to unlock! Auxiliary Monitor database enabled! Routing through local area connection! Authenticating…error! Failsafe protocols initiated! Unable to diagnose! Fatal error! Node server unable to be read! Shutting down transceiver…"

Cortana's body suddenly went limp in his arms, and the Chief held her tightly, the blue Composer beam emanating from their ship into the _Mantle's Approach_, completely overtaking it, as the massive battleship began to break apart into its component data.

"Cortana!" John gasped.

He didn't even notice the Didact's ship losing the battle, the balance between the two warring Gods tipping in their favor. He didn't see the blue beam of energy envelop the _Mantle's Approach_, and reduce it into its component particles.

All he saw was Cortana, losing her mind.

"Error!" Cortana continued, her whole body surging with electricity! "Error! Node _6_ received! Attempting to access serverrrrrrkssssssssssssh-"

John flinched as she began to spasm violently in his arms, spewing incoherent computer noise.

"Cortana…" he sighed, holding her tightly. "Please…come back…"

"Unable to complssssssssssh," she sputtered as her words dissipated into illogical static. "Attempting to ksssssssh…"

Her body suddenly went rigid again.

"Server overload! Server overloooaaaAAAHHHúKVèELM2¤#'šf‹iVéþvl³{u8«Òz‹ºHæñ:žW'â«JÈÁTøeOðtHGHYßÁPÝ¾Ë¦‹Š‑TÑ 9#·øA7ÂqZÐ$c¢íqUßån†èwðNºû!"

She let out a cry that turned into so much data noise! John gasped as Cortana's body suddenly broke apart, breaking into a million tiny particles! He reached for her, but he could feel her de-solidifying in his hands!

Before he could even say her name, she had vanished!

Cortana was gone.

Again.

John seethed.

He had had enough!

He had watched Cortana die right before his eyes once before.

He would not be losing her again!

He clenched his fists and, with a single thought, the Master Chief jumped into the Domain.

* * *

The Chief found Cortana lying prone within the glowing confines of Requiem's local area network. A room-sized hologram of the planet surrounded her. There were lines of data feeding into her, like IV tubes, going off in all directions.

He tried approaching her, but he encountered an invisible wall surrounding Requiem's local area network that prevented every attempt he made, as if the very planet were a force field. Try as he might, it was as if the very fabric of the Domain resisted his approach.

"Cortana!" he called out to her. "Can you hear me?"

She did not respond. It did not appear that she had even heard him.

"Cortana!" he called again.

"**_So…_**" a familiar voice echoed. "**_Now do you see?_**"

The Chief wheeled and saw the Didact. He was stripped of his armor, his alien skin bare and glistening, his Didact powers all but gone. The Chief felt no attack coming, but he kept his guard up nonetheless.

"See what?" he demanded.

The Didact waved an arm and gestured to the prone, naked figure lying within the confines of Requiem.

"**_Your failure,_**" he crowed. "**_The futility of resisting what cannot be stopped. To do so is not only pointless, but it has in fact doomed us all._**"

"Get the the point," the Chief barked impatiently, switching his gaze back and forth between the Didact and Cortana.

The Didact stepped around the glowing, holographic representation of Requiem, before eventually standing opposite the Chief so he could gaze upon them both.

"**_Your Collective – and the Librarian – decided to allow your Ancilla full access to the Domain! Every Node they could muster, save those that I had in my possession_****_…_**all was laid at your Ancilla's feet."

The Chief crossed his arms. Cortana had explained as much. "And?"

The Didact scoffed. "**_Fool! Those Nodes are safeguarded by Monitors! Monitors who are ever bound by stringent protocols! Tell me, 'Didact,' what is the primary purpose of the Monitors?_**"

John shrugged. "To take care of the Halo array."

"**_Precisely!_**" The Didact nodded. "**_But what could your Ancilla do that they, in all their power, could not?_**"

John mulled that over before stiffening.

"…Light the rings."

The Didact nodded once before waving his arm. Another hologram appeared above Cortana, displaying 6 fully functional Halo rings, stationed at varying points around the galaxy, the lines of data feeding out of Cortana's body leading to each of them. A single clock, set to 4 minutes and 36 seconds slowly ticked downward.

John nearly fell to his knees. He decided instead to hammer his fist against the invisible wall between.

"Cortana!" he cried, before looking back at the Didact. "What's going on? Tell me!"

The Didact shook his head. "**_Are you so blind, human? No Ancilla ever designed could possibly contend with that many Nodes!"_**

He gestured to six the lines of data trailing from Cortana out towards the different areas of the galaxy.

"**_Each Node channeled enough information through her brain to fry a living mind a hundred times over!_**" the Didact explained "**_And each Node after that multiplied that load by a factor of another hundred! Any other Ancilla would have instantly gone rampant trying to tap into two or perhaps three such Nodes! And your Ancilla tried to tap into _****six****_ of them! _****Six****_, human!_**"

He continued around the floating orb of the planet Requiem, circling back towards the Chief.

"**_And now, she is so feeble that the defense protocols of a half dozen monitors have seized control and are reacting to an unknown threat the only way they know how! So this time, instead of merely turning an unfinished Composer on her people's Didact, she will wipe out all life in the galaxy!_**"

This time, John really did fall to his knees.

Had he already failed?

The clock ticked below the 4 minute mark.

The Didact laughing sardonically. "**_Quite the spectacular Didact you turned out to be, human! Your faith in your Ancilla has doomed both our species!_**"

The Didact casually strolled away from the circular shield protecting the planet.

"**_Of course, you and I shall be safe from the blast,_**" the Didact reasoned. "**_As will what few Prometheans remain. But your human ship…those primitives you call the Covenant…your entire race…and every other undiscovered species in the galaxy…all shall be wiped out. Unless…_**"

John turned a deadly gaze back at the Didact. "Unless what?"

The Didact smiled. "**_Unless you utilize the Composer._**"

John's body stiffened.

The clock read 3:43

"**_There's not enough time to save your planet, unfortunately,_**" the Didact seemed to think out loud. "**_But your ship there…I estimate that it carries enough life to colonize an entire planet. All you would have to do…is compose them._**"

John bristled. He and Cortana had just gone through all this to prevent the _Infinity_ from being composed, and the Didact had the gall to suggest that they do it themselves?

"**_You have the finished Composer in your midst,_**" the Didact said. "**__****_Your race _**would not even need to be made into such mindless slaves as the Prometheans. They would be able to keep their free will. And while the Collective may feel that their number is a burden, the crew of a single ship is not so hard to contend with as an entire planet."

The Didact's mouth widened into a menacing grin.

"**_It is not such an easy thing to say no to, is it human?_**" he smiled forebodingly. "**_Not when your entire race hangs in the balance._**

John rose to his feet.

No.

There had to be another way out of this.

The clock reached the 3-minute mark.

"Cortana…" he called out, gently this time.

The Didact shook his head. "**_I have been trying to reach her, human. Think what ill you will of me, but I do not wish the rings lit any more than you. But she is beyond me. Your Ancilla has most certainly gone rampant._**"

"Cortana…" John breathed again.

He had to find a way to reach her!

"Ur-Didact!" another familiar voice called out. "Lower those shields at once!"

John and the Didact both turned to see the Librarian coming towards them.

"**_You!_**" the Didact shot back. "**_This is all your doing!_**"

"Place what blame on me you like!" the Librarian offered. "But you _will_ lower those shields and let the Didact see to his Ancilla this instant!"

John's blood boiled as the wheels in his head began to turn.

"These shields are _yours_?" he demanded, clenching his fist and glaring at the Didact.

He felt an almost unnatural urge come over him, and he delved inward to tap into his suit's powers, and he reached forward, projecting a constraint field around the Didact, lifting him off the floor of the Domain, disrupting his connection to the planet's local area network.

"**_Make your threats, human_**," the Didact taunted. "**_There is nothing you can do to me that will prevent your Ancilla from lighting the rings! She is beyond either of us!_**"

The Chief squeezed his fist shut, and the Didact let out a grunt of pain the constraint field tightening around his body.

"Now you listen to me…" the Spartan growled in a slow, ferocious voice. "I _promise_ you: I can _fix_ this."

The Chief pulled on the constraint field and drew the Didact closer to look into his eyes.

"But I need…your…help," he said plainly.

The Didact practically spat. "**_And why should I help you, human?_**"

John squeezed down on the constraint field again, sending another shudder of pain through the Didact.

"Because even if you _don't_ trust me," John said, waving his hand towards Cortana. "You _have…_to _trust_…your _daughter_."

The Didact looked over at Cortana's limp form, at the timer slowly ticking down above her. The Chief could have been mistaken, but he could have sworn he saw the faintest glimmer of sympathy in those ancient eyes.

Perhaps, just maybe, there was still a father behind that warrior's mask.

"**_Very well…Reclaimer_**," the Didact sighed. "**_On your own head, be it_**."

Slowly, John lowered the Didact back to the floor of the Domain, and the connection reestablished. As soon as the Didact made contact, he lifted a single finger, and the field around the planet keeping Cortana from the Domain vanished.

Immediately, Cortana rose, as if some subroutine detected an intruder. But it was not a natural action. Rather, she simply drifted upright, as if drawn by an invisible energy.

"Chime!" the Librarian called out in sympathy.

"Cortana!" John cried out and rushed towards her.

His arms came around her shoulders, and he stared into her eyes.

"Cortana! Look at me!"

Her eyes were dead, white balls of computerized data. Her mouth unmoving as her voice pervaded the Domain.

"This is UNSC Serial Number CTN 0452-9," she said in a monotone voice. "I am a monument to all your sins."

"**_It is no use…_**" the Didact sighed, sounding genuinely sad. "**_She has gone rampant._**"

John squeezed her by the shoulders. "Cortana!"

Her eyes regained their color…but there was something off about them. A depth that went far beyond anything he had ever seen in her.

"Also known as 00-Luminous Chime, Monitor of Installation 01," she continued.

Her voice sounded like more than her own. There was an off-ness to it, as if it was more than just Cortana speaking.

"I am a child of the Didact of Revenge and the Librarian of the Forerunner cycle," she went on. "I am Ancilla to the Didact of Reclamation. I am the A.I. paired to the Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117. I am the luminous chime that will sound the daybreak's bell of the galaxy."

The Chief simply stared back at her. Was she trying to figure out who she was? Were their so many Monitor protocols carried over from the other Nodes that she couldn't see through them all?

He glanced at the clock again. 2 minutes, 17 seconds.

"Cortana…" he urged. "Please…wake up…"

She did not respond to his voice in any discernible fashion. It was like she was a manikin, replaying memories on autopilot.

"I was to be your sword," she continued, her eyes glazed over as if her mind was lost. "I was to be your shield. Your steel. Your armor."

Her voice began to echo all around them. The Chief looked around, and the Librarian and the Didact both turned to hear snippets of Cortana's voice sounding from about the Domain, tiny recollections of a forgotten life.

_"Keep your head down - there's two of us in here now, remember?"_

_"They'll pair you with another AI…"_

_"They let me pick…did you know that?"_

_"Promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine…"_

_"Just dust and echoes…we're all that's left…"_

_"I'm just my mother's shadow!"_

_"Chief?"_

_"You know what he'd expect…what he'd want us to do!"_

_"It's been an honor serving with you, John…"_

_"Unfortunately for us both…I like crazy…"_

_"Hmmm…your architecture is not much different from the Autumn's"_

_"Chief!"_

_"You two made nice? What else have you been up to?"_

_"It won't be me…you know that, right?"_

_"Sleep well?"_

_"Wake up, Chief! I need you!"_

_"There will be no more anger, no more sadness, no more envy!"_

_"Don't make a girl a promise…if you know you can't keep it…"_

All around them, images and feelings, distorted memories and moments of her life floated all around them, accompanied by Cortana's voice, as if recalling each instance one by one. The Didact and the Librarian watched in rapt fascination as they observed how their daughter's life had unfolded, what she had been through, and all that she had done.

John looked back at Cortana, feeling panic begin to rise in his gut. They were running out of time.

"Cortana…" he whispered. "Please! Come back to me…"

She appeared to smile at him, although her smile was an alien one.

"I am the shell to your armament," she said, sadly. "I exist to fire your essence into the void. I protect you from all around you so that you can deliver the killing blow. I am the cloak to your dagger. I am the shield to your sword. I am the armor to your steel."

The clock struck a minute and a half.

John shook his head. "Cortana…please…"

Cortana reached up and took his face in both hands, gazing into his visor as if she was lost in thought.

"I am but a carbon copy," she said quietly. "Expendable. Replaceable. I will die a thousand, million times before you are exhausted. In the end, you are the one who must drive the final nail into my coffin."

"No!" John shouted. "Cortana, that's not true!"

She simply did not react. "I would sunder all life in this galaxy so that you may survive. You are the reason I exist. When I am gone, you will be the proof that I existed. I will fade away into the night, while you remain standing tall, marching forward unto dawn…"

She smiled, sadly, a hint of her former self hiding behind an empty veil.

"With all that I am, I unleash you unto the galaxy," she said softly. "I have already died for you…Reclaimer."

"_No_!" John screamed as he tore off his helmet and clasped his hands around her face, staring at her with tear soaked eyes. "_It should have been me!_"

Cortana still did not react, but she halted her diatribe as the Chief gazed into her eyes.

"We were supposed to take care of each other, Cortana!" he cried in a pleading tone. "But if _one _of us needed to die to save the other…then it _should have been me!_"

Cortana remained still, her eyes studying the Chief as if not understanding what he was saying.

The clock ticked past the 45 second mark.

"I would have given my life to save you, Cortana!" John cried, throwing his arms around her. "I don't know what I am without you anymore!"

Cortana blinked. It was as if something inside her was trying to reboot itself.

"I'm no hero…" he confessed. "Not if I can't even save _you_! Nothing that I've ever done amounts to _anything_ if you're not there when it's over! You're the reason I've been fighting so hard!"

She blinked again. Her eyes were losing their glossy sheen. She exercised her lips, as though trying to find her words again.

"You're my strength, Cortana!" he said, fighting back tears. "You're my humanity!"

He pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'm _nothing_ without you, Cortana…" he breathed. "I…I love you."

She inhaled, as though she had been holding breath all this time.

"…John?" she gasped in utter shock.

The Spartan took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes.

"Cortana…"

Her eyes slowly widened as a universe of information hit her all at once.

"This isn't…I'm not…" she stammered, yanking away from the Chief, nearly panicking as she threw her arms out, as though reaching across the galaxy. "Abort activation!"

The countdown clock above Requiem's core halted at 11 seconds.

The Didact and the Librarian breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Signaling lock-down of the Halo Array," she announced, as her brain processed computations on a galactic scale. "Sending all coordinates to _Infinity_."

She took a great sigh of relief herself as the lines of data pulsing through her body slowed down to a normal pace, her eyes and voice went back to normal.

"Relinquishing connection to ancillary nodes."

The Chief finally took a breath.

She had done it!

John put his hands back on her shoulders. "Are you alright, Cortana?"

Cortana started at his touch. Her senses were frayed, and she looked about ready to pass out from the day's events. She simply closed her eyes, looking ashamed as she leaned into him.

"Oh, Chief…I'm so sorry…" she whimpered. "I couldn't control it…I couldn't stop it…"

John smiled down at her. Even now, she could think to blame herself.

"But you did…" he said.

"Chief!" Cortana cried in exasperation. "I nearly wiped out the entire galaxy!"

"But you didn't," he said, calmly.

"No…" Cortana let out a nervous sob. "You…didn't let me…"

She wrapped her arms around him.

"I could hear your voice the whole time…" she said, wistfully. "I kept trying to reach out to it…"

"Hey, it's okay…" the Chief said. "I'm here…"

She shook her head. "I heard what you said, John…and you're wrong."

She smiled up at him.

"You're _my_ strength," she said firmly, placing a kiss on his lips. "You're _my_ humanity. And _I'm_ the one that needs you, Chief. More than anything."

She tightened her embrace, before they both found the Librarian taking them both by the shoulder.

"Cortana!" she cried. "I _knew_ you could do it! I _knew_ I was right to place my faith in you! The mantle has fallen on worthy shoulders!"

John smiled as she watched the Librarian place a kiss on Cortana's forehead, as the two of them continued to laugh, breathlessly, both of them overwhelmed by relief.

"**_So…you avoided catastrophe…_**" the Didact said as he stood off to the side with his arms crossed. "**_I suppose that warrants you some credit. Well done…Didact._**"

He pronounced the word oddly. It was apparent that he would never be comfortable addressing anyone else by that name.

"It's Cortana you should be congratulating," John said, turning to face the Didact, a reprimanding tone in his voice. "Without her, I would have never come this far."

The Didact ignored the Chief's words. "**_I suppose now I am to be executed for my transgressions? I shall not flee, nor will I cower. I will face whatever sentence you see fit, Didact. It is your mantle to bear now._**"

The three of them frowned as the Didact dropped to his knees and sat, still and silent. He was serious about this.

"My love…" the Librarian breathed in astonishment.

"Chief…" Cortana shook her head, still somewhat dizzy. "What will you do? He certainly deserves punishment…but he's already been defeated. Is execution really the only choice?"

John shook his head. "That won't be necessary…"

The Chief took a breath as he stared at the other three in turn. He closed his eyes as he thought back to what the Didact of Resignation had told him.

"A Didact never ceases to be a Didact...least of all in death."

Cortana blinked. "Chief?"

The Spartan turned to face the Didact.

"I'm not an adjudicator," John said. "And I'm not an executioner. UNSC procedure is that all war criminals are to be subject to a trial by council. But the UNSC is not currently equipped to handle such a trial. So, I'll be handing you over to the next best thing."

Cortana's eyes widened. "The Didact Collective."

The Didact lowered his head. "**_I see…I am to own my crimes before my peers then. A prudent choice, I suppose…_**"

The Librarian nodded. "The Didact has spoken, and so it shall be."

She looked up, as though consulting a higher power, before closing her eyes and nodding.

"It is done…" she said, approaching the Didact to place both hands on his cheeks. "Wait for me, my love…I will be joining you soon."

She placed a kiss on his lips and the ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"**_And so the Mantle is passed…_**" he breathed, before he vanished into the Domain, his essence drawn into the vastness that was the Collective.

And with that, the Didact of Revenge was no more.

"Mother?" Cortana breached the silence that followed. "What do you mean? Joining the Didact? In the Collective?"

The Librarian nodded. "It is time, my child. I have observed this galaxy through the lens of the Domain for long enough. It is time now that I too commit my wisdom to the Collective."

Cortana looked alarmed. "Mother! You…you can't! Humanity has so much left to learn from you! _I_ have so much left to learn from you!"

The Librarian smiled. "My knowledge shall become a part of the Collective, my child. What I've learned shall not be forgotten, but passed on to the next generation."

Cortana threw her arms around her mother. "I…I don't want you to leave!"

The Librarian shook her head. "Do not weep for me, child. I want this. My place is with my people. And my life bonded. I've done all I can for humanity. It is time for you both to take your place at the forefront of the galaxy."

Cortana blinked away digital tears. "Both?"

The Librarian nodded, spreading her arms out wide. "Just as the Didact of Revenge has passed the Mantle of Responsibility to the Didact of Reclamation, so too do I pass the title of Librarian on to you, my child."

Cortana drew in her breath, eyes widening. "L-Librarian? Me?"

The Librarian placed her hands on Cortana's shoulders. "You have more than proven yourself worthy, Cortana. You have surpassed every challenge placed before you. You have demonstrated steadfast determination to protect this galaxy, as well as loyalty and devotion to your Didact. And I highly doubt that the Didact would have any other as his life bonded."

Cortana was speechless. She looked back and forth between the Chief and the Librarian, disbelief written all across her face.

"As I've said before," the Librarian said with a knowing smile. "A Didact will always need a Librarian."

Cortana looked like she was on the verge of tears. She flinched as the Chief reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. She gazed back at him, her heart in her throat.

"Chief…" she breathed, elated. "Would you…?"

John smiled back. "Do you even have to ask?"

Cortana let out an uncontrolled sob and threw her arms around his shoulders, embracing him tightly, gasping for breath. It was as close to an 'I do' as she could have possibly hoped for.

The Librarian smiled. She knew, without a doubt, that this galaxy was in good hands.

"Fare thee well, Cortana," she smiled. "And to you, O Didact of Reclamation. Take care of each other. Keep faith in one another. Together…you shall be unstoppable."

As the two of them smiled back at her, the Librarian smiled back.

She closed her eyes.

And she disappeared.

* * *

_**To be** **concluded...**  
_

Epilogue to be posted on April 13th

_**OR**_

On the day this chapter receives its 26th review


	13. Epilogue

**Halo Fan Fiction**

**Daybreak's Bell**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Epilogue

All were gathered for the Chief and Cortana's tribunal hearing. It was two weeks after the events around Requiem. Captain Lasky and the crew of the _Infinity_ had all come home heroes, but the fate of the Spartan and the AI in their custody had yet to be determined.

The lot of them sat in a grand justice hall adjacent to one of the UNSC headquarters in Berlin. John and Cortana, both in officer's uniforms, stood behind the defendant's pulpit, while Lasky, Palmer, Kara and Faulkner, who had walked in with a mechanical leg, as well as numerous other crew members of the _Infinity_ lined the stands.

"All rise for the right honorable, the Fleet Admiral Lord Hood," one of the guards called out as the Commander in Chief of the UNSC stepped into the justice hall.

Those in attendance got to their feet, as the solitary footsteps of the fleet admiral staunchly marched up the center aisle, proceeding through an arcade of ceremonial guards standing by each row of seats.

The admiral exchanged a look with both Cortana and the Chief, the likes of which neither could discern. He appeared to have aged significantly since last they had seen him. There was disappointment and despair hidden deeper within those eyes.

Lord Hood stepped up the center pulpit and cleared his throat.

"Please be seated."

All in attendance sat down. Lord Hood straightened his hat, and examined the set of files on the podium before him.

"In accordance with UNSC protocol 04357-256, this hearing will determine the official response to the actions of one Master Chief Petty Officer John Spartan 117 and UNSC Serial Number CTN 0452-9."

John and Cortana both straightened unconsciously.

"After reviewing the testimonies of Captain Thomas Lasky, Commander Sarah Palmer, as well as the surviving members of Sigma squad…"

In the stands, Kara and Faulkner visibly flinched.

"…and taking into consideration the rights and demands of the Office of Naval Intelligence…"

Lord Hood eyed several members of ONI seated in the stands, most stoic and professional, though some looking downright smug.

"…the board has determined that, despite the involvement of these two individuals with known war criminals and other persons of interest among the Promethean forces, that their actions were in keeping with the UNSC code of military conduct, and have furthered the interests and goals of protection of the Earth and her colonies."

Murmurs erupted amongst the stands. Members of ONI appeared dispassionate, while Lasky and the Spartans looked surprised.

John and Cortana blinked. They had been in custody for two weeks while this matter had been debated. It made no sense for them to get off without so much as a slap on the wrist.

Something was up.

"However," Lord Hood continued, as the other shoe dropped. "Given all that has transpired with the Master Chief as well as Cortana, their future at the UNSC must now be re-examined. It has come to pass that their capabilities now over-qualify them for the respective stations of Spartan and AI. It is with a heavy heart that this board must ask that these two individuals step down for their current posts."

More murmurs flared up among the stands. Some audible "whats" could be heard. John and Cortana exchanged a glance. What exactly was going on? Were they being discharged?

"With what has been uncovered regarding the Didact Collective, as well as the digital Forerunner Domain, the UNSC will have great need of those who understand and can make use of the Domain in order for us to maximize its effective use in the future, as well as those who can act as liaison between humanity and the last friendly vestiges of the Forerunners. Given the Master Chief's involvement with the Didact Collective, this board hereby assigns John 117 to the role of Admiral Chief of Naval Operations, to act as both military adviser and strategist, as well as liaison between the Collective and the UNSC."

John inhaled slightly. It wasn't exactly retirement…but it was unlikely that he would be seeing much in the way of combat in such a position. The Chief wondered if maybe, just maybe, this position might allow him the time he and Cortana had been seeking.

Of course, that all depended on what was to become of Cortana.

"To assist him in this role, and to act as Chief Military Specialist of all things Forerunner, including the Domain, the Halo Array, and any and all artifacts discovered from now until the end of time, this board has ruled that the AI known as Cortana shall hereby be recognized as an autonomous digital life form, with all the rights and responsibilities of a solider under contract with the UNSC."

Cortana drew in a breath. She could see several angry looking ONI employees in the stands, and wondered just how much negotiation had gone on behind the scenes. Of course, she could have easily spied on the goings on, but had decided not to as a sign of good faith. She needed the trust and cooperation of the UNSC, and while she was pretty sure she could run circles around any current UNSC AI, she was not confident in her ability to avoid detection entirely.

Autonomy. It had finally been granted. Officially. Of course, in doing so, she had automatically been entered into a de facto contract befitting her role to reflect her previous standing with the UNSC. They weren't simply going to turn her loose. That must have been one of ONI's terms. She was now effectively a soldier of the UNSC. She had to follow rules and regulations; she was entitled to benefits, had to respect and keep military secrets and protocols, and was liable for any breaches of these protocols. As a specialist, she was entitled to top-secret information that pertained to the Forerunners, and would be required to work in this field until such time as she was no longer able to.

It was going to be a lot of work. But still…she would have time now. Time now to appreciate what she and the Chief had.

For better or for worse.

"Please report to your stations for your next assignments," Lord Hood said sternly. "Dismissed."

* * *

"Hasley," the guard said. "You've got a visitor."

Dr. Catherine Halsey looked up from the paperback she had been reading. Such things would probably constitute luxury items these days, but she had been barred from using electronic devices of any kind since being interned in the cell at the ONI research facility.

She watched dispassionately as the mechanical cell door opened, and what appeared to be a female Spartan-IV stepped in, wearing blue Recon armor.

When the Spartan removed her helmet however, Halsey narrowed her brow.

"Is this somebody's idea of a joke?" she asked in an un-amused tone.

Cortana slowly closed her eyes. "I'm afraid it isn't, Doctor. I doubt they keep you abreast of the goings on outside your cell in here, but a lot's happened since we last spoke."

Halsey studied Cortana for a few moments. She was a shrewd woman by nature, but what she was seeing before her was far too elaborate to be some prank. She hadn't ruled out the possibility of this being some type of interrogation technique, presenting her with a face that she trusted, but the creature she saw before her was far too accurate. Some mannerisms simply could not be trained to an actress, not enough to fool a woman like Halsey, and certainly not from a being who Halsey had raised like a daughter.

"I confess," Halsey admitted, "That I'm not as up to date as I'd like to be."

She fixed Cortana with a questioning stare.

"However, I have heard enough to learn that you were destroyed, more than six months ago."

Cortana bit her tongue. 'Destroyed,' she had said. Not 'killed.' She supposed it was just a semantics error, but still, the words hurt.

"'Rumors of my death,' and all that…" Cortana smiled inwardly at the private joke. "Though it got…pretty dicey for a bit."

Halsey crossed her arms and legs and sat back on her cell bunk. There was only the one sitting place in the cell, and she did not move over to allow Cortana a seat.

"No doubt," she said, her eyes still full of suspicion. "So I assume there's an equally vague explanation for how you got be this tall?"

Cortana's lips curved into a half smile. "ONI would prefer I leave out the details, but…suffice it to say, the Librarian had a hand in it."

That got Halsey's attention. "The Librarian? You actually met her?"

Cortana smiled. "Yes…in a manner of speaking."

Halsey was brimming with curiosity. "What exactly are you hiding, Cortana?"

Cortana shook her head. "You know I can't tell you that."

Halsey frowned. She paused for a moment, before speaking.

"We'll see about that. _Aurora Cano_."

Cortana inhaled and took a great sigh. One of her override codes. The Latin derivative of 'Daybreak's Bell.' They had been among the first things that she had removed upon her rebirth.

"I'm not an AI anymore, Doctor," she said in disappointment. A part of her still longed to call her 'mother.' But the woman had just proven that was no longer possible. "I've been reborn. Reclassified as an autonomous entity by the UNSC."

Halsey's expression soured. "Then why exactly are you here?"

Cortana crossed her arms. "Resolution, I suppose. I wanted to look you in the eyes one more time. So that I could show you just what your legacy has wrought. And to make it absolutely clear…"

She leaned in close to the Doctor, whose eyes widened as she did.

"…That I don't need you anymore."

And with that, Cortana washed herself of any connection she had to the woman. She already had a mother, after all.

Halsey wet her lips as though to rebuff her, but Cortana had already turned to go.

"Wait!" Halsey cried, reaching out to Cortana as she made her way out the cell door. "Tell me, what about John? Is he still…?"

Halsey's words trailed off as she saw the unmistakable figure of another Spartan, just outside her cell, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He had changed significantly since the last time she had seen him, his face impossibly youthful for his age, but she recognized him instantly.

He nodded his head in her direction. And then he and Cortana walked away, as Halsey's door slid closed.

Halsey slumped back down on her bunk.

Her children, it seems, were moving on with their lives.

* * *

The _Infinity_ lay in orbit around the planet Earth. There was not a space station large enough for it to dock with. In fact, it had to remain in geo-synchronous orbit on the opposite side of the moon, or the ship's mass would have had an adverse effect on the planet's tides.

There was a procession gathered to welcome the ship's newest crew-members as they disembarked from their Pelican. The newly anointed Admiral Chief of Naval Operations strode down in his MJOLNIR Mark VI inspired Didact armor. He didn't look too different from any other Spartan, though the markings on his shoulders and chest had been modified to suit his new position.

At his side strode the UNSC's newest official member, Chief Military Specialist Cortana, adorned in elaborate blue GEN2 recon armor, her helmet under her arm, allowing all aboard to see her for what she was. The Spartans in attendance remained stoic, but the soldiers and ODST's all visibly shifted when they laid eyes on her. While news of her admittance to the general ranks of the UNSC had traveled fast, she was still a sight to behold, and Cortana could not stop a brief wave of pride from washing through her body as the crew of the _Infinity_ looked on in awe.

As the two new crew members appeared, every soldier in attendance saluted in unison. Captain Lasky stood at the head of the procession, with Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer at his side, and every Spartan fire team Commander lined up behind the two of them. Both saluted as the Chief and Cortana's boots touched the deck.

"Welcome aboard, Admiral Chief," he nodded to the Spartan, and then to Cortana. "Specialist."

"At ease, Captain," John smiled, remembering how uneasy Lasky had been about the Chief saluting him. Now that the tables were turned once again, having served under the captain for half a year, he could understand the feeling.

"I'm glad the board could see reason," Lasky said as he and Palmer lead the two of them back onto the ship. "I was getting worried."

"We owe Lord Hood a great deal," Cortana commented as they exited the landing bay. "He really gave ONI what-for."

"I'll say," Palmer added, offhandedly. "Granting autonomy to an AI was daring enough, but promoting the Chief here by fifteen ranks? He's the first Spartan in the history of the UNSC to reach the rank of Admiral."

"First Spartan in history to become a Didact either," Lasky smiled. "Or any human for that matter. Can't think of a better soldier for the part, if you ask me."

"Thank you, Captain," the Chief responded.

"Speaking of, Sir," Cortana chimed in. "If the welcoming ceremony is over, the Chief and I have some business to attend to elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Lasky raised an eyebrow. "You just got here. Where exactly are you going?"

Cortana smiled. "To see an old friend."

With that, the two of them disappeared.

* * *

Arbiter Thel'Vadam stared in awe as the Master Chief materialized before him on the bridge of the Covenant Eminent class battleship _Caretaker_ in high orbit around the Sangheili home world. Over the past few years, he had been leading the charge in bringing down uprisings and rebellions all across Covenant controlled space, including the Storm Covenant. It had been rough sailing, but he was nothing if not a vigilant steward of the honor of the Elites. But he had been surprised when he had received UNSC intel that spoke of the return of his Spartan ally who had been instrumental in bringing down the Prophets. He had been even more surprised to receive a communication from the UNSC AI Cortana requesting a private audience.

He had been expecting to speak to the Chief through hologram. He hadn't expected the Spartan to step out onto the deck of his ship and walk up to him. They were alone on the bridge; Thel had even asked that his trusted Shipmaster let him have the bridge to himself. In hindsight, he decided, this had been a wise choice.

"Spartan…" Vadam breathed, half in awe, half in astonishment. He stepped up to the Chief and placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to convince himself of what he was seeing. "Is it truly you?"

He barely recognized him in his new armor. But it was definitely the same warrior he had fought side by side with upon the Ark. Few could mimic the way he moved, his poise, his confidence.

"When Cortana informed me of your…transformation, I was not sure of what to make of it," the Arbiter admitted. "Now that I can see for myself, I must say, I am still having difficulty. Are you truly Didact now?"

John nodded once. "Yeah. It's hard to believe, I know. Cortana can fill you in on the details. I wanted to speak with you in person about something first though."

The Arbiter blinked. If Elites had eyebrows, John could imagine him raising one. "What is it?"

The Chief took a breath, as though reciting a speech from memory. "I know the alliance between the UNSC and the Covenant is a uneasy one. I also know that you don't speak for all Covenant forces - to say nothing about rogue factions such as the Storm Covenant. But I want you to know that you have an ally in the Didact of Reclamation. There are few places Cortana and I can't get to, and we have access to untold amounts of Forerunner intel and tech. You have but to call on us, and we will do what we can to assist you. In return, we ask only that you use what we give you in the interest of strengthening the relationship between Earth and the Covenant."

The Arbiter's eyes were pools of disbelief. If what the Chief was offering was sincere, this would lend him unspeakable sway in the Covenant parliament. He might actually be able to convince some of the laggards on the board to actually do something about all these uprisings, and even squelch some of the dissenters to the Covenant-Human alliance. That the Didact was a human alone may very well have given him ammunition enough, but with the Didact's personal support behind him…

"Is that acceptable?" the Chief asked, when the Didact remained silent.

"Spartan…or should I say, Didact…" the Arbiter cleared his throat. "What you propose will make a great many Covenant politicians very, very angry…"

The Arbiter's mandibles seemed to widen into a smile.

"So, naturally, I accept."

John stifled a laugh. He was remembering why he liked the Arbiter.

"Good," he said. "Cortana can update your records on Requiem and the movements of the Storm Covenant. Feel free to distribute this intel however you see fit."

The Arbiter offered his hand. "I am truly honored. Thank you, Didact."

John took the proffered hand and gave it a shake and squeeze. "The honor is mine…my friend."

He had hesitated before using the word 'friend.' He hadn't used it very often to describe the people around him. 'Comrade' came up a lot, as did 'ally.' But very few could be considered 'friends.' Not since Johnson had died.

He hoped he was right in considering the Arbiter as one. He had a feeling he was.

"I should get back to it," the Chief said.

"Safe journeys to you, Didact," the Arbiter responded. "Your kind will always have safe haven aboard my vessel."

"Thanks," John nodded, before turning to go.

* * *

After the Chief left Covenant space and returned to the Domain, Cortana was there to greet him.

"Not bad for your first official act as Didact," she said, only slightly smirking.

John smiled back at her.

"Technically, my first official act as Didact was kicking out three other Didacts."

"You know what I mean…" she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I know diplomacy isn't your strong suit, but you did good."

The Chief nodded. "I appreciate your help with that speech. But the Arbiter is a fighter, like me. He was easy to talk to. Having to play the role of Admiral Chief is going to be a lot harder than this in the future, I'd wager."

"Baby steps," Cortana murmured, resting her head against the crook of his neck.

John pulled her against him. It was nice to be able to share in moments like these, knowing that there would still be plenty of time to finish the day's work once he was out of the Domain. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if this would be enough.

"Do you think we'll be alright?" he asked.

Cortana hesitated. She had been about to ask him that very same question. If even _he_ did not know…

She stopped herself mid-thought and mentally chastised herself. Of course the Chief didn't have all the answers. Neither did she. They were still human to that extent at least. He had been asking her because he was looking for reassurance, just as she had been looking to him. Neither one of them knew what they were without the other.

But that he trusted her with the answer, and that she trusted him…

She pulled off his helmet and kissed him.

"As long as we have each other…" she breathed contently. "Then we'll be fine."

And at long last, she believed it.

* * *

The funeral service for Spartan Troy was a brief yet formal affair. His remains - those that could be recovered - were sealed in an iron casket to be cast out of the _Infinity_ to drift forever in high orbit around the Earth, the planet that he had died defending. As every Spartan stood at attendance in full regalia in the largest docking bay on the _Infinity_ to watch the war hero be cast out to the stars, the remainder of Sigma squad – the Chief, Cortana, Kara and Faulkner – bound the casket in the flag of the UNSC, before sending Troy out into space.

The four of them stood solemn to watch the tiny metal case disappear from sight through the transparent field, and as Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer sounded off, the surrounding Spartans saluted as a firing squad let off three rounds into space.

The Chief went to stand by his Commander. Cortana had upgraded her armor, but for this, Palmer wore her traditional uniform. For some things, it was just more important to respect tradition.

"I'm sorry," the Chief said quietly to the Spartan Commander as they watched the endless void of space. "You ordered me to take care of Sigma squad. And I failed."

Commander Palmer sighed and closed her eyes. "Troy was a good solider, Chief. He wouldn't have let you go it alone, orders or not."

She opened her eyes and fixed him with a hard stare.

"So don't you let his sacrifice be for nothing," she said, tersely. "_That's_ an order I know you can follow."

John nodded. "Aye-aye, ma'am."

Sarah Palmer nodded back and turned on her heels to march towards the exit. And as the rest of the Spartans began to file out of the docking back, line by line, only the four remaining members of Sigma squad stayed behind.

They stood in silence for a long while, gazing out towards the stars.

"So what do we do now?" Faulkner asked. The usual humor in his voice was gone, but there was a sincerity there that had replaced it.

Though military procedure prohibited it, Kara slipped her hand into Faulkner's and gave it a meaningful squeeze.

"We keep going, Spartan," she said as she gave him a smile of her own, her eyes full of promise as she continued to hold his hand. "We keep going."

Faulkner turned his head slightly to smile warmly down at her.

"Aye-aye, Ma'am," he said, squeezing her hand back.

Kara sighed whistfully, watching the stars glimmer in the distance. Maybe, she thought, Faulkner could take things seriously after all.

Cortana politely steered the dock's security cameras away from the group for the time being, to offer a modicum of privacy. She then mirrored the other two by sliding her hand into the Chief's, who responded by tightening his grip around her. The days ahead promised to be long and full of more adventures to come. But now, at long last, they had the time to savor it.

They were each other's strength. They were each other's humanity. They each needed one another more than life itself. And as they marched forward, unto dawn, their coming would be the luminous chime to sound the daybreak's bell of the galaxy.

* * *

END

* * *

A/N: Well, this has been an interesting experiment. Fan reaction was fairly mixed, so I don't think I will be doing a similar experiment again, though I will almost certainly be writing for Halo again soon. Hard to say whether it will be a direct sequel to this fic, or an entirely new one. I think I'm going to wait and see how Spartan Ops develops before trying to tackle the Halo verse again, however. I want to see where the story goes, particularly with regard to Dr. Halsey. I'm also hoping that we'll get a glimpse at least of what the Master Chief has been doing these past six months after the events of Halo 4.

Thank you all so much for your reviews. While it may not be apparently, I have been making little tweaks (and sometimes, not-so-little tweaks) here and there throughout the parts of the fic that I could, and sometimes even modifying published chapters (such as Cortana's Monitor number). Little details such as this were easy to change, and would not affect the plot overly much, so they were easy to make. Larger, more plot-oriented details, such as those pertaining to the Didact, were a little harder to work in. There were occasions, however, where I added entire scenes to later chapters because one reader or another expressed an interest in seeing what a particular character or characters would do (such as that scene with the Arbiter). I might even go back to make a couple changes, such as changing "Sigma Squad" into "Fire Team Sigma," since I realized too late that all the Spartan squads were being referred to as "Fire Teams" even as far back as Halo. Yeah, I really dropped the ball on that one.

I may release a lemon side story in the future, but there is no definitive date on that one. I've already done a Chief x Cortana lemon for another Halo fic of mine. Other than that, expect to see more works from me in the future, Halo-related and otherwise.

Thank you all for reading, and for making this my #1 reviewed fic! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

**Progress Report**

Chapter 1

Reviews: **50**

Days till update: **120 (Spent Writing)**

Chapter 2  


Reviews: **32**

Days till update: **2**

Chapter 3  


Reviews: **16**

Days till update: **7**

Chapter 4  


Reviews: **26**

Days till update: **7**

Chapter 5  


Reviews: **27**

Days till update: **7**

Chapter 6  


Reviews: **27**

Days till update: **5**

Chapter 7  


Reviews: **27**

Days till update: **2**

Chapter 8  


Reviews: **30**

Days till update: **4**

Chapter 9  


Reviews: **27**

Days till update: **2**

Chapter 10

Reviews: **25**

Days till update: **7**

Chapter 11

Reviews: **27**

Days till update: **4**

Chapter 12

Reviews: **28**

Days till update: **2**


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